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.

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.

WasteDataFlow vs DEFRA Digital Waste Tracking: Which One Applies to You?

Two national waste systems. Similar names. Very different jobs. If you’re a waste carrier trying to work out whether you need to worry about WasteDataFlow, DEFRA digital waste tracking, or both, this is the short version.

The one-paragraph answer

WasteDataFlow is a reporting system used by local authorities to report household and municipal waste data to government. If you’re a private waste carrier, it almost certainly does not apply to you.

DEFRA digital waste tracking is the new mandatory system for all waste movements in the UK. Transfer stations go digital in October 2026. Carriers follow in October 2027. If you carry waste for a living, this one applies.

If you only needed to read one paragraph, that was it. The rest explains why.

What WasteDataFlow actually does

WasteDataFlow is a web-based reporting system run by a consortium of UK government departments and environmental agencies. It collects quarterly and annual data on municipal waste from local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The data is used to track recycling rates, measure progress against national targets, and report back to the EU on historical commitments. It covers household waste, local authority collections, household waste recycling centres, and commercial waste collected by councils.

The system has been running since the early 2000s. It’s a reporting tool, not a tracking tool. It doesn’t track individual waste transfers, doesn’t care about transfer notes, and doesn’t interact with private waste carriers directly.

If you’re a private haulier doing skip hire, commercial waste, or construction waste, you have probably never heard of WasteDataFlow and you don’t need to.

What DEFRA digital waste tracking actually does

The digital waste tracking service is a new system being rolled out from October 2026. It’s built to replace paper waste transfer notes and paper hazardous waste consignment notes for every waste movement in the UK.

Every time waste changes hands, a digital record gets created in the system. Producer, carrier, receiver, waste type, EWC code, quantity, destination. In real time, not in a filing cabinet.

The goal is to make waste crime harder and legitimate waste operations easier. The EA can see patterns in waste movements without turning up at yards. Operators can find their own records without rifling through two years of paper.

Why the confusion happens

Both systems have “waste” and “data” in the name. Both are government systems. Both live on government infrastructure. It’s easy to assume they’re the same thing or that one replaces the other.

They don’t and it doesn’t. They do different jobs for different audiences.

WasteDataFlow will keep running after October 2026. Local authorities will keep reporting their numbers through it. DEFRA digital waste tracking will sit alongside it, feeding a different dataset from a different source.

For a private waste carrier, only one of them is in the working day.

What this means for you

If you’re a carrier, skip hire operator, or small haulier carrying waste for customers, you need to be ready for DEFRA digital waste tracking. That means:

A digital system that creates a note the receiving site can accept
EWC codes that are accurate, not guessed
Records that sync automatically, because the system expects real-time data
A way for drivers to create notes without signal at the kerbside

It does not mean learning WasteDataFlow. It does not mean setting up quarterly council reports. Unless you are also a local authority, you can leave that one alone.

What if you’re somewhere in the middle

A few operators do both. If you hold a local authority contract for household collections and also run private commercial jobs, you may already interact with WasteDataFlow through the council. That’s a contract arrangement, not a carrier obligation. The council runs the reporting side. Your job is still the collection and the paperwork.

Digital waste tracking applies to both sides of that work. Every movement of waste needs a record, regardless of who the customer is.

Getting the basics in place

Before October 2026, the two things worth sorting:

EWC code accuracy. The digital system validates codes in real time. Wrong codes get rejected. The free EWC lookup lets you check codes before you need them.
A digital WTN workflow you’ve actually tested. Don’t leave the first digital note for the day the system goes live. Run it alongside paper for a few weeks so drivers know what they’re doing.