Digital Waste Tracking for Food Waste Collection Made Easy
Digital waste tracking for food waste collection doesn't have to mean more paperwork. Food waste collectors serve kitchens, retailers and manufacturers and deliver to anaerobic digestion and composting sites that report under Phase 1. We build a bespoke app around how your business works, so every job, weight and signature is captured once, digital waste transfer notes are sent automatically and your Defra records are submitted on time.
How Digital Waste Tracking for Food Waste Collection Works
Food waste collection is growing fast as rules require businesses to separate food waste. Collectors serve restaurants, cafes, schools, retailers and food manufacturers, and deliver to anaerobic digestion and composting sites. Those sites are permitted receiving sites, and they now report every load they receive to Defra.
Digital waste tracking for food waste collection means your rounds, weights and paperwork are recorded digitally from the start. Our app handles caddy and bin counts, weights, animal by-product records and digital waste transfer notes, and is ready for Phase 2 when food waste collectors come into scope.
Food Waste Rounds and Caddy Counts
Food waste rounds involve frequent, regular lifts, often several times a week, from many small customers. The app plans rounds efficiently, records each lift with the number and size of caddies or bins and any weight from on-board weighing, and flags missed lifts and contamination with photos. Customers can be billed per lift, per bin or by weight.
Animal By-Product Records
Much commercial food waste is classed as animal by-products (ABP), which come with their own record-keeping requirements. The app records the ABP category where relevant and keeps commercial documents with each movement, alongside waste transfer notes, so you have one complete record per load.
Delivering to AD and Composting Sites
Each delivery to an AD plant or composting site is recorded with the destination, weight and ticket. Because those sites are reporting receipts to Defra under Phase 1, your records will match theirs, which makes things simpler when Phase 2 arrives.
When Food Waste Collectors Must Comply
Food waste collectors act as waste carriers, so they're planned to come into scope in Phase 2: a public beta in spring 2027, with mandatory use planned from October 2027. If you also run a permitted depackaging, bulking or transfer site, Phase 1 already applies to the waste that site receives.
EWC Codes and Records for Food Waste Collectors
Common codes include:
Always confirm codes against the official List of Wastes.
A Bespoke App for Food Waste Collectors
A food waste collection app can include:
Customer CRM
with lift schedules and contracts
Route optimisation
for frequent rounds
Driver app
with bin counts, weights, photos and contamination flags
ABP and waste transfer note records
Delivery tracking
to AD and composting sites
Billing
per lift, bin or weight
Digital waste tracking
ready for Phase 2
From Paper to Digital Without the Headache
We'll import your customers and rounds, set up your container types and pricing, and train drivers on the app. For collectors still using paper, the difference in admin time is usually obvious within the first week.
Frequently Asked Questions
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We don't sell boxes of software. We build the app your business actually needs.
Book a free, no-obligation demo and talk it through with someone who understands commercial waste management.
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