Digital Waste Tracking Postponed to April 2026

DIGITAL WASTE tracking will now be postponed from April 2025 to April 2026 because the industry is not ready, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has announced.

The original planned date for mandatory digital waste tracking across the UK was first proposed in 2022.

The digital tracking of waste is intended to apply to all types of commercially and domestically produced waste whether it is hazardous or non-hazardous. It will be tracked from where the waste is generated to where it is disposed of.

The UK generated 191 million tonnes of waste in 2020.

Digital Waste Tracking Postponed

In a letter to stakeholders, DEFRA said:

Over recent months, we have received feedback from many of our industry stakeholders and our delivery partners indicating that the original timeline to introduce a digital waste tracking service by April 2025 presents significant challenges. Having listened to this feedback and also through the interrogation of our plans, we have made the difficult decision to defer the previously stated implementation date. As a result, the digital waste tracking service will not become mandatory in April 2025.

Adding that the delay will ensure the new IT service used to track waste items is fit for purpose, DEFRA said postponing will allow them to ensure testing of the new service is comprehensive and involves many of the waste disposal providers.

However, the new planned date to bring in digital waste tracking is itself uncertain. DEFRA says certainty of the IT system being ready another year’s time is “limited”. It says it will issue and update by May 2025.

DEFRA says a robust, high-quality digital waste tracking service will be instrumental in our transition to a circular economy.

David Gudgeon, Head of External Affairs at Reconomy Connect, said: “As speculated, Defra has announced today that Digital Waste Tracking will no longer be mandatory from April 2025, with the rollout now delayed until April 2026 to give businesses more time to prepare.

“A UK-wide digital waste tracking system remains essential for improving waste management, increasing transparency, and driving materials up the waste hierarchy. Accurate, real-time data will help tackle waste crime, support the circular economy, and ensure better environmental outcomes.”

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