Waste Transfer Note Guide: What to Include and How to Go Digital

A waste transfer note is the document that records non-hazardous controlled waste passing from one person or business to another. It describes the waste, its EWC code and quantity, and names everyone involved in the transfer, under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

It exists so there's a clear paper trail showing who held the waste at each stage, which matters if anything about its handling is later questioned by a regulator.

Anyone producing, carrying, keeping, treating or disposing of controlled waste needs a waste transfer note for each transfer, from a waste collector to a receiving site. Both the person transferring the waste and the person receiving it must sign it, confirming they agree on what was transferred.

Waste transfer notes must be kept for at least 2 years from the date of transfer. Both parties are responsible for keeping their own copy, and regulators such as the Environment Agency can ask to see them as part of a check or investigation.

A digital waste transfer note captures the same legally required information as a paper one, but it's completed on a phone or tablet at the point of collection, signed on screen and emailed automatically to both parties. This removes paper copies left in cabs or filed loosely in an office.

Because the record is created digitally, it can also feed straight into our Defra API integration where digital waste tracking applies, so the same data supports both requirements.

Yes. Existing waste transfer notes and returns continue alongside digital waste tracking until further notice, so the two requirements run side by side rather than one replacing the other for now.

For more on the new reporting requirement itself, see our guide to digital waste tracking or get a free readiness check.