What happens if Defra rejects a record?

Rejected records are flagged with the validation error so your team can correct the detail, such as an EWC code or weight, and resubmit. The record stays within the 2 working day countdown until it's accepted.

Can one API code cover several sites?

The government fee of £26 per year per organisation covers all its sites, and your API connection can be set up to report for multiple sites under one organisation.

Defra Digital Waste Tracking API Integration

Q: What if the service is down?

You make a written record within 2 working days of the outage and submit it to the service within 7 working days of the outage being resolved. Your app holds the record ready and submits it as soon as the API is back.

Our digital waste tracking API integration connects your bespoke app straight to Defra's Receipt of Waste API, so the information your team already captures becomes a compliant submission automatically. Loads are drafted as soon as they're verified, checked for missing EWC codes, weights and disposal or recovery codes, and sent well inside the 2 working day deadline.

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How Our Digital Waste Tracking API Integration Works

Our digital waste tracking API connects directly to Defra's Receipt of Waste API using your organisation's API code, set up through Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login. Once a load is verified in your app, the record is drafted and sent without anyone in your office re-keying it.

This removes the manual step of copying details from a paper waste transfer note into a separate reporting system, which is where deadlines are most often missed.

Automatic Drafting from Every Verified Load

As soon as a driver or site operator verifies a load, your app drafts the Defra record using the data already captured, EWC code, weight, and disposal or recovery code. There's no separate reporting form to fill in afterwards.

Because the draft is built from the same record used for the digital waste transfer note, the figures match across both documents.

Validation Before Submission

Before anything is sent to Defra, the app checks each record for validation errors, such as a missing EWC code or an incomplete weight, and flags it for your team to fix. Catching errors before submission avoids rejected records and repeat work.

Deadline Tracking Including Bank Holidays

Every load is reported within 2 working days, excluding weekends and bank holidays, starting the day after the waste is received. A load received Monday at 9am is due by 11:59pm Wednesday; a Friday receipt is due by 11:59pm Tuesday.

Your app tracks this countdown against the UK bank holiday calendar, so office staff can see at a glance which records are approaching the deadline.

Waste Tracking IDs Stored Against Every Load

Once Defra accepts a submission, the waste tracking ID it returns is stored against the original load in your app. That means you can trace any record back to the job, driver, vehicle and digital waste transfer note that produced it, without searching through a separate system.

Outage and Correction Handling

If Defra's service is down, the rule is to make a written record within 2 working days and transfer it to the service within 7 working days of the outage being resolved. Your app keeps the record ready to submit automatically as soon as the connection is restored.

Submission can also go via the Defra spreadsheet route, which is temporary and expected to remain available until at least October 2027, as a fallback alongside the API.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The API code is issued to your organisation through Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login and links submissions to your business. We help you obtain it and connect it to your app during setup.

FeaturesFeaturesWaste management app features we build into every bespoke app: CRM, route planning, driver app, live tracking, digital WTNs and Defra digital waste tracking.Read more →CoreHow It WorksDigital waste tracking made easy in four steps: we map your process, build your bespoke app, connect it to Defra and train your team. No paperwork headaches.Read more →

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Book a free, no-obligation demo and talk it through with someone who understands commercial waste management.

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