Digital waste tracking will bring new reporting requirements for businesses that receive and collect waste in Scotland.
At Junk-It, we are Central Scotland’s house clearance and commercial clearance experts, and our team is keeping up with the rollout so we can explain how it affects your collections.
The Digital Waste Tracking (Scotland) Regulations 2026 come into force on 1 January 2027. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) says this first phase applies to permitted waste receiving sites.
Phase 2 is still under development but is expected to affect other parts of the waste movement chain, including waste carriers such as Junk-It. SEPA currently expects these rules to take effect in October 2027.
What Defra’s digital waste tracking system is
Digital waste tracking is a UK-wide project to record waste movements electronically, from where waste is produced to its final destination.
It is being introduced in stages, starting with records of waste received at permitted sites.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is developing the shared service with the UK government and devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government.
Public testing opened in spring 2026, and eligible Scottish receiving sites can already use it voluntarily.
SEPA oversees compliance in Scotland and registers waste carriers like us. The Environment Agency is the regulator for England.
Why the UK government is introducing digital waste tracking
A digital record lets regulators check whether a load reached a legitimate waste site.
SEPA describes the project as a way to tackle waste crime, such as illegal waste dumping, and over time, replace several older paper-based systems.
How the digital waste tracking service works in Scotland
Receiving sites register to use the new digital service and then report the waste they take in.
Each report records the receipt of waste at the site, including the type of waste, and the site has two working days from the day after delivery to submit it.
How receiving sites send the data
A site with compatible waste tracking software can send waste data straight to the service through an API, which is a direct link between two pieces of software.
A site without software can submit through Defra’s spreadsheet template instead, a route the government expects to keep until at least October 2027.
There is an upfront annual service charge of £26 per organisation, covering all its receiving sites.
Operators who qualify as digitally excluded can obtain a number from SEPA and use an alternative record-keeping route without paying this fee.
Mandatory digital waste tracking in Scotland from January 2027
Digital waste tracking became mandatory for waste receiving sites in England and Wales in October 2026 and is set to become mandatory in Scotland on 1 January 2027.
SEPA’s Scottish guidance confirms that the new regulations will not immediately remove or change the duty of care and waste reporting requirements that already apply.
Which sites the first phase of digital waste tracking covers
Phase 1 applies to sites that carry out a waste activity, operate under permit-level authorisation and receive controlled waste.
Controlled waste includes household, commercial and industrial waste.
SEPA’s examples are waste transfer stations, where loads are bulked up before they move on, plus scrap yards, landfills, plants that burn waste to generate energy and composting sites.
Each load needs a record with its arrival date and time, transporter details and waste description.
The waste streams in the load are identified by their waste codes, with a weight recorded for each code.
Who is exempt from the first phase
Phase 1 excludes permits granted to local authorities for household waste recycling centres and transfer stations used to bulk and store waste before onward treatment, recycling or disposal.
Former waste-licensing-exempt sites, now deemed authorised under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018, and new registration-level waste sites are also outside phase 1.
Tracking for green list waste exports, which cover certain recoverable waste sent abroad, is planned for a later phase.
Waste carriers and phase 2 of digital waste tracking in Scotland
The UK-wide plan for phase 2 is to extend electronic reporting to waste carriers, brokers and dealers. Affected waste management businesses would have to submit information to the government system about the waste they handle.
Scotland’s phase 2 duties will be set by Scottish regulations, which are still being developed. SEPA currently expects them to take effect in October 2027.
GOV.UK’s planned timeline puts an early test version (a private beta) for invited waste collectors in autumn 2026, followed by public testing from spring 2027.
As a SEPA-registered waste carrier, Junk-It is following the Scottish regulations as they develop.
We’ll meet the reporting requirements when they take effect and explain any changes to the information or paperwork needed for your collection.
Waste transfer notes and what stays the same for waste producers
If your business produces waste, its duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 still applies.
Transfers of non-hazardous business waste need a signed waste transfer note, with a copy kept for at least two years.
A single note can cover repeat transfers of the same waste description between the same parties for up to 12 months, with a log of each load.
Paper waste transfer notes remain valid, and electronic notes with electronic signatures are already accepted.
A digital waste transfer note is separate from the receiving site’s phase 1 report; digital tracking does not yet replace the existing paperwork requirements.
For hazardous waste, Scotland uses special waste consignment notes instead. Those requirements also remain in place.
Checking your waste carrier today with SEPA
Whatever changes are coming, it is still essential to use a licensed waste carrier.
Before booking, ask your carrier for their SEPA registration number and check it on SEPA’s public register.
For a household clearance, it is important to ask where your waste is going. For a commercial clearance, your business has a legal duty of care for its waste, which includes completing a signed waste transfer note when it’s handed over.
Junk-It provides a waste transfer note with every job, so you always have a record of where your waste has gone.
How Junk-It handles your waste
Waste that needs treatment or disposal goes to facilities authorised to accept it.
Our Ethical Waste Disposal Guarantee means we’re fully SEPA registered, we never fly-tip, we only work with accredited disposal companies, and we operate using a strict waste hierarchy.
We first look at donation and recycling before anything goes near a landfill, and over 85% of the waste collected by our teams is diverted from it.
If you’re clearing an office, shop or warehouse, our commercial junk removal service works to the same standards.
Frequently asked questions on digital waste tracking in Scotland
Who needs to use digital waste tracking, and when?
In Scotland, permitted waste receiving sites have to use it from 1 January 2027. Carriers, brokers and dealers are expected to follow in October 2027, although phase 2 is still undergoing development.
Does my business need to do anything as a waste producer?
If your business only produces waste, phase 1 does not require you to submit reports to the service yourself. You still need to check your carrier’s registration and complete the waste transfer paperwork. The reporting process will develop as later phases bring waste collectors into the system.
Does my waste carrier handle digital reporting for me?
Phase 1 makes the receiving site responsible for reporting each load it receives. Carrier reporting is planned for phase 2, with the Scottish rules still being developed. We’ll tell our customers directly if those rules change what we do on collection day.
Is digital waste tracking linked to my waste transfer note?
The records can relate to different transfers: your business’s note covers handing waste to the collector, while the phase 1 report records its arrival at the receiving site. Digital reporting does not replace your existing transfer-note duties.
What happens if the digital waste tracking service is down?
Defra will send a notification if the system is down. Receiving sites that can’t use the service should email SEPA as soon as possible and make a written record of each load. Once the system is back, they will have seven days to enter that information.
Book a clearance from a team that works to the rules
Whether it’s a full house clearance, office clearance, or just a few items needing sorted, our SEPA-registered team handles everything properly from start to finish.
We remove your unwanted items, take them to the right place, and give you a waste transfer note with every job.
As the rules around waste tracking continue to change, choosing a registered carrier matters more than ever.
We keep on top of the rules, so you don’t have to, and our team is always more than happy to talk you through how we work.
If you’d like a house, office or garage cleared by a SEPA-registered team, request a free quote online or call us on 0141 433 4330. There’s no obligation, no hidden fees, and same-day slots are often available.
