Every load you receive has to reach Defra within two working days
Defra is replacing paper with a central digital record of waste. Here is what that means for a site receiving waste, without the jargon.
1 October 2026
England and Wales
Reporting receipt of waste became mandatory for permitted sites.
January 2027
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The same duty applies to receiving sites there.
October 2027
Phase 2
Carriers, brokers, dealers and exporters are expected to follow.
From then on
Every load
No monthly return to catch up on: each load is its own record.
Who it applies to
If you hold a permit for a site that receives waste, every load you take in has to be entered into Defra's Digital Waste Tracking service.
The window is two working days
Counted from the day after you receive the load, excluding weekends and bank holidays.
No separate paper copy needed
Your transfer note doesn't have to be on paper. As long as you can pull the record up in the system and show it, or print it, that's enough.
There is enforcement behind it
Compliance notices, a £1,000 fixed penalty, variable penalties with no upper limit, and ultimately your permit.
- Load receivedMonday, 9:00am
- Clock startsTuesday
- Must be filed byWednesday, 11:59pm
A Saturday drop before a bank holiday Monday is tighter than it looks. Xnet Waste Manager counts it for you, load by load.
Why software is involved at all
Defra built the service as a database with an interface for software, not a website for operators to type into. Every site needs software of some kind to file its loads, which is what Xnet Waste Manager does, and why it appears on GOV.UK's published list of software providers for reporting receipt of waste. It is worth checking any supplier you're considering appears on that list.
What it costs, apart from software
Defra charge a £26 annual service charge per organisation for the tracking service itself. You pay that directly to them. It never comes through us, and it will never be on an Xnet invoice.
What you need to get started
Your organisation needs its own API code from Defra. Only you can request it, it takes minutes, and it is the one step that holds everything else up. Register your organisation with Defra, send us the code, and we do the rest. One code covers every site you operate.