PAPER WASTE NOTES END OCTOBER 2026

One waste chain. Every signature. No paper.

Producer, carrier and consignee all sign from their own phones. Works without signal — hand off offline and the receiver picks the chain up later. Built for DEFRA readiness without live submission in this release.

Paper notes are costing you.

23.5 million paper WTNs per year

That's how many waste transfer notes are still done on paper in the UK. From October 2026, DEFRA says that stops.

Up to £5,000 fine per missing note

Section 34, Environmental Protection Act 1990. Can't show a WTN during an EA inspection? That's a criminal offence.

2 years minimum retention

Every note must be stored for at least 2 years. Lose one and you can't prove compliance. Digital notes are searchable, backed up, and always there.

One chain. Four signatures. Every party works from their phone.

01

Producer prepares

Lock in waste lines, EWC codes and destination. The chain is created and the carrier gets an email the moment you sign.

02

Carrier picks up

Vehicle, driver, photo and pickup signatures captured on site. The consignee gets an email automatically when the load leaves.

03

Delivery handoff

Carrier signs at the destination. If the receiver isn't on WTN App yet, sign-and-share lets them pick the chain up later from a public link.

04

Consignee confirms

Receiver weighs, verifies, accepts or partially rejects. The chain closes. PDFs are on file for every party — DEFRA-ready for future submission.

Works offline. Syncs when you get signal.

HAZARDOUS WASTE

Hazardous waste too.

Same app, same chain. Hazardous EWC codes flag themselves, the three parties sign from their own phones, and notes stay on file the full statutory three years.

Three signatures

Producer, carrier, consignee. One chain, separate attestations.

Mixed loads, auto-split

Hazardous lines split into an HWCN, non-hazardous into a WTN — both inside one chain. No double entry.

Three years on file

Statutory retention. Searchable when the EA asks.

See the hazardous waste page

See it in action.

Find the EWC code, sign your step, hand off to the next party. The chain updates everywhere — under a minute on a phone.

Find the EWC code
01 Find the EWC code
Sign your step
02 Sign your step
Hand off to the next party
03 Hand off to the next party

One van or twenty.

WTN App replaces your carbon copy books with something that actually works.

Solo operators

Man-and-van. Skip hire owner-operators. One phone is all you need.

Small fleets

2–20 vehicles. See every driver's notes in one dashboard. Know your compliance score.

Office managers

EA quarterly returns in one click. Never dig through a filing cabinet again.

What it costs.

Simple seat-based pricing. Rate drops automatically as your team grows.

Start with 20 notes included before billing.

1 driver

£290 /yr

Price for the first driver seat.

Most popular

2-10 drivers

£190 /driver/yr

Automatic lower per-driver rate when your team grows.

11+ drivers

£140 /driver/yr

Lowest per-driver rate for larger teams.

Included on every seat

  • Unlimited notes
  • Team management
  • DEFRA readiness
  • PDF to customers

Start with 20 notes free. No card required.

What waste carriers say.

Early access users across the UK.

★★★★★

"Used to spend 20 minutes at the end of every day catching up on paperwork. Now I do it on site and it's done. Can't see myself going back to the carbon copy books."

Dave Hartley Owner-operator, Hartley Skip Hire, West Yorkshire
★★★★★

"We've got 6 drivers. I used to chase them every week for their note books. Now I can see every transfer on the dashboard in real time. EA inspection last month, no issues at all."

Karen Booth Operations Manager, Booth Environmental, East Midlands
★★★★★

"The offline bit is what sold me. Half my jobs are on rural sites with no signal. Notes save on the phone and sync when I get back to the yard. Dead simple."

Paul Simmons Waste carrier, 3 vehicles, PS Haulage, Somerset

Clock's ticking.

-- Days
-- Hrs
-- Min
-- Sec

October 2026: all waste receiving sites must use DEFRA's digital waste tracking. Carriers follow October 2027. Don't leave it till the last minute.

Start free
FREE TOOL — NO SIGNUP

Still filling in waste notes by hand?

Generate a compliant Waste Transfer Note PDF in minutes. Fill in the form online, download the PDF. Or grab a blank template to print and fill in by hand.

5 min on paper, per note
30 sec with WTN App

Free EWC code lookup.

Type what the waste is. We'll find the code.

This lookup is built into WTN App. Your drivers never need to guess a code.

Questions.

Is WTN App an official DEFRA product?

No. DEFRA is building the backend API for digital waste tracking. They expect private companies to build the tools that carriers actually use. WTN App prepares records for DEFRA readiness; live submission is not enabled in this release.

What is an EWC code?

EWC stands for European Waste Catalogue (also called List of Waste or LoW codes). Every type of waste has a 6-digit code — like 17 09 04 for mixed construction and demolition waste. You need the right code on every waste transfer note.

Does it work without internet?

Yes. The app works fully offline. Each step of the chain is saved on your phone and syncs to your account when you're back in signal. Built for skips on rural sites with no reception.

Do all three parties need WTN App?

No. The producer or carrier creates the chain in WTN App and the next party gets an email with a public link the moment the previous step is signed. If your receiver isn't on the app yet, sign-and-share lets the carrier hand off alone — the receiver imports the chain from that link later and confirms receipt. Everyone gets the same DEFRA-ready record either way.

When does the DEFRA mandate start?

Waste receiving sites must use digital waste tracking from October 2026. Carriers follow from October 2027. But if you're transferring to a site that's already digital, you'll need to be ready by October 2026.

Can I use this for hazardous waste?

Yes. Hazardous EWC codes flag automatically. If a load mixes hazardous and non-hazardous lines, the chain auto-splits them into an HWCN and a WTN — both signed by all three parties, both stored under the same chain. Dangerous-goods fields are captured inline.

How long do I need to keep waste transfer notes?

By law, waste transfer notes must be kept for a minimum of 2 years (3 years for hazardous waste consignment notes). WTN App stores everything digitally so you never lose a note.

What if I'm not very good with technology?

WTN App is designed for people on building sites, not office workers. Each party only sees their own step of the chain — producer prep, carrier pickup, delivery handoff, or consignee receipt — and the next person gets an email when it's their turn. If you can use WhatsApp, you can use this. New drivers usually get the hang of it within one job. If anyone gets stuck, we help by email or phone, and the app has short in-line tips so nobody needs a training manual.

Can I try it before I pay?

Yes. You get 20 notes free when you sign up — no card required.

What happens to my old paper notes?

Keep them for the required retention period (2 years, 3 for hazardous). The digital mandate applies to new transfers going forward. Your existing paper records don't need to be digitised.

How is my data stored and is it GDPR compliant?

Customer and driver data is encrypted at rest and in transit, held on UK-hosted infrastructure, and access is per-user rather than shared logins. Notes are flagged for destruction when they pass the statutory retention window. You still need to register as a data controller with the ICO and run your own privacy notice — that part nobody can do for you — but the handling of WTN data itself is designed to keep you on the right side of UK GDPR.

Will it integrate with my existing fleet or accounting software?

Not yet. Today WTN App is a stand-alone tool: you create notes in the app and your existing fleet or accounting system stays separate. We hear the integration request a lot (Xero, Quickbooks, existing fleet management platforms) and it is on the roadmap, but we would rather be honest about what ships today than promise something that does not exist.

Get in touch.

Got a question? Want a demo? Drop us a message.