Waste Carriers Licence: What Changes with Digital Waste Tracking

A waste carriers licence comes in two tiers. Upper tier registration applies to most businesses that carry, broker or deal in controlled waste. Lower tier registration applies to a smaller set of exempt activities, such as carrying your own waste or certain charitable and small-scale activities, and doesn't require the same registration fee or renewal process as upper tier.

Which tier you need depends on what waste you handle and whose waste it is, not just the size of your business. Most commercial rubbish removal, skip hire and specialist collection firms need upper tier registration.

Carrier, broker and dealer registration is being reformed alongside the introduction of digital waste tracking. The direction of travel is tighter registration checks and closer links between your registration and your reporting obligations, rather than registration being a one-off form you file and forget.

Digital waste tracking for carriers, brokers and dealers is planned under Phase 2 from October 2027, following a public beta in spring 2027 and a private beta from autumn 2026. Once in scope, you'll need to report waste movements, likely via the Receipt of Waste API, within the same kind of reporting window already in place for Phase 1 receiving sites. A government fee of £26 per year per organisation, covering all its sites, is expected, with first payment due by 31 January 2027.

Waste crime is estimated to cost the UK around £1 billion a year, and closer digital tracking of carriers is one of the ways government intends to close that gap. Legitimate carriers benefit from being able to prove, quickly, that every load went where it should.