Every time controlled waste changes hands in the UK, there must be a Waste Transfer Note. It’s the law — Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Get it wrong and you’re looking at fines of up to £5,000 per note.
Most waste carriers know they need WTNs. Not all of them know how to fill one in properly. Here’s how to do it right.
What is a waste transfer note?
A waste transfer note is a legal document that records the transfer of controlled waste between two parties. It covers:
- Who gave the waste and who received it
- What the waste is (including the EWC classification code)
- When and where the transfer happened
- A declaration that both parties have met their duty of care
You must keep every WTN for a minimum of 2 years (3 years if it includes hazardous waste). Both the person giving the waste and the person receiving it must have a copy.
Every field, explained
Transfer details
- Date of transfer — The actual date the waste changed hands. Not the date you got round to filling in the form.
- Time of transfer — When it happened. Morning, afternoon — be specific enough that it could be verified.
- Collection / delivery address — The site where the waste was picked up or delivered. Full address including postcode.
Transferor (person giving the waste)
- Company name — Your registered business name.
- Address — Your business address. Not the site address — that goes above.
- Contact name and phone — Someone the EA can actually reach if they have questions.
- Waste carrier licence number — Your upper-tier or lower-tier carrier registration number. This is the one the EA issued. If you don’t have one, you shouldn’t be carrying waste.
- SIC code — Standard Industrial Classification code for your business. Optional but recommended. Most waste carriers use 38110 (collection of non-hazardous waste) or 38120 (collection of hazardous waste).
Transferee (person receiving the waste)
- Company name — The company taking the waste off you.
- Address and contact details — Their registered details.
- Environmental permit / licence number — The receiving site’s permit number. If they can’t give you one, think twice about leaving waste there.
Waste description
This is where most mistakes happen.
- EWC code(s) — The 6-digit European Waste Catalogue code that classifies the waste. Every type of waste has one. Mixed construction and demolition waste is 17 09 04. Mixed municipal waste is 20 03 01. Not sure? Look it up in our free EWC code search — type what the waste is and it’ll find the code.
- Written description — A plain-English description of the waste. “Mixed building rubble” is fine. “Stuff” is not.
- Quantity and unit — How much waste. In tonnes, cubic metres, kilograms, or number of items. Estimate if you must, but be reasonable.
- Container type — Skip, RoRo, tipper, bags, drums, loose. Tick what applies.
- Hazardous waste — If any of the waste is hazardous (EWC codes with an asterisk), you need to flag it. Hazardous waste also needs a separate consignment note.
Declaration
Both parties must sign a statement confirming they’ve fulfilled their duty of care under Section 34. This is the bit that makes it legally binding. No signature, no valid note.
Common mistakes that get you fined
Wrong or missing EWC code. This is the number one problem. Drivers leave it blank, guess, or copy the same code every time regardless of what’s in the skip. The EA checks these.
Illegible handwriting. Carbon copy books are notoriously hard to read. If an inspector can’t read the note, it might as well not exist.
Missing signatures. Both parties need to sign. One missing signature and the note is technically invalid.
Wrong date. Filling in notes at the end of the week from memory? The dates need to match the actual transfer. If your GPS shows you were at a different site that day, you’ve got a problem.
Not keeping notes for long enough. 2 years minimum. 3 for hazardous. “I threw them out” is not a defence.
No permit number for the receiving site. If you deliver waste to a site and don’t record their permit number, that’s a duty of care failure on your part.
Free waste transfer note template
Don’t want to fill in a carbon copy book? Use our free WTN generator. Fill in the form online, download a properly formatted PDF. Every field listed above is included. You can also download a blank template to print and fill in by hand.
It takes about 5 minutes to fill one in online. Still quicker than doing it on paper with cold hands on a building site.
October 2026 changes everything
From October 2026, DEFRA is moving waste tracking to a digital system. Paper notes are on the way out. The fields stay the same but everything gets recorded electronically and synced to a central government database.
If you’re still on paper, the free tools above will get you through. But if you want to be ready for the mandate, read the full guide:
With WTN App, creating a digital waste transfer note takes 30 seconds on your phone. The EWC code fills in automatically. It works offline. Your customer signs on screen. The note syncs to DEFRA when you get signal.
That’s the direction this is all heading. Might as well get ahead of it.