Digital Waste Tracking with Integrated Skills

In a further step towards achieving a circular economy, the introduction of mandatory digital waste tracking will mark a defining moment for the waste and recycling sector.

This shift represents not just a regulatory change, but a fundamental evolution in how waste is recorded, reported, and monitored across the entire supply chain.

For Local Authorities and waste service providers, understanding the scope and impact of digital waste tracking is essential for ensuring compliance, streamlining operations, and contributing to national sustainability goals.

Here we’ll be outlining the new scheme, explaining its necessity, and updating you regarding our plans to stay ahead of the curve.

The Need for Digital Waste Tracking

The UK generates hundreds of millions of tonnes of waste annually. The majority is tracked and recorded using paper-based documentation and fragmented data systems. This creates vulnerabilities, including inaccuracies, lost records, and limited transparency.

Fly-tipping and illegal exports are tough issues to tackle without an appropriate system to track the movement of waste. Managing resources effectively is also challenging if we can’t keep tabs on recyclable materials as they make their way from producer, to consumer, to waste manager.

Digital waste tracking is a necessary step towards improved corporate responsibility and the circular economy the UK is striving for. Moving into the digital age will also streamline compliance and support sustainability goals, while giving regulators the oversight they need.

The Plan

In response to this growing need, the UK government has committed to introducing a centralised, Digital Waste Tracking Service. First outlined in the Environment Act 2021, with legislative roots reaching back to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the duty of care for waste producers and handlers has long been established.

Digital tracking is intended to provide near-real-time data on the movement of waste from the point of production through to its final treatment or disposal. This will apply to all waste types and all organisations involved in its management, including Local Authorities, private contractors, and commercial producers.

Timeline and Implementation

Following several years of development, consultation and delays, the system will be rolled out in a phased plan, starting this month – September 2025:

• Phase 1: Early adopters can volunteer to join a technical trial test system for processors from Q4 of 2025. Receiving sites can also sign up to this from April 2026.
• Phase 2: Digital waste tracking will be mandatory for all processing and reception sites from October 2026.
• Phase 3: Digital waste tracking will be mandatory for all commercial collections from April 2027.

The requirements cover the four UK nations and are designed to replace existing paper-based waste transfer notes, hazardous waste consignment notes, and records currently kept by waste operators.

Under the new framework, waste producers, carriers, and processors will be required to record key information digitally, including:

• The origin and type of waste
• The parties involved in the transfer
• Collection and delivery points
• Dates and volumes of waste movements

The initial cross-agency trial will produce vital feedback, central to shaping the service design.

Industry Support and Sector Response

The transition has been broadly welcomed across the waste management industry, with many stakeholders recognising the operational and environmental benefits of a unified system.

The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has voiced its support, highlighting how digital tracking “has the potential to revolutionise the way in which waste is monitored in the UK.” CIWM sees the system as a vital tool for improving data quality and supporting the ambitions of the Resources and Waste Strategy.

The sector has also raised important considerations, however. In its official position statement, CIWM emphasised the need for the system to be user-friendly and interoperable with existing software platforms. There are concerns that smaller operators may struggle to adopt new digital requirements without sufficient guidance and support. The CIWM has advocated for a phased rollout and appropriate funding to ease the burden on smaller businesses.

Similarly, the Local Government Association (LGA) has expressed broad support for the initiative, but called for clarity around how the system will interface with existing local authority digital infrastructures. In its consultation response, the LGA stated that while digital tracking could deliver significant environmental benefits, it must not add administrative burden to already overstretched council teams. The association also recommended that the system be designed to account for the complexity and variation in local collection systems.

Both CIWM and LGA are aligned in calling for robust training, clear guidance, and early engagement with stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition.

Preparing for a Digital Future

The transition to a fully digital waste tracking system will not be without its challenges – particularly for organisations that have relied on manual processes or who have limited digital infrastructure. However, it also presents a major opportunity to modernise operations, improve service delivery, and contribute to national environmental targets.

For Local Authorities, the ability to digitally record, manage, and report on waste movements will enhance visibility and control across commercial and municipal waste services. It will also streamline reporting obligations and reduce the administrative overhead associated with paper-based systems.

Early adopters will be better positioned to benefit from the operational efficiencies and regulatory advantages that digital waste tracking offers. This includes adopting systems that can integrate with the new digital waste tracking service, support dynamic route planning, and provide real-time performance analytics.

What Integrated Skills Are Doing to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Integrated Skills has experience of moving local authorities towards “digital by default”, with many of our customers saying that their service management has been transformed as a result.

To stay ahead of the curve, Integrated Skills has joined DEFRA’s Circular Economy Panel (previously the Resources and Waste Panel). The Panel aims to help DEFRA test and improve their new digital services.

As a Panel member, Integrated Skills will have the opportunity to preview and provide feedback on Waste Tracking services, through various methods including online or in-person discussions, prototype testing, and surveys.

We have also volunteered for the Waste Tracking Private Beta version so that we are involved in early testing as soon as this is available.

Integrated Skills’ API

The Digital Waste Tracking ‘portal’ will gather data via an API. We already have our Integrations API for our in-cab/back-office system, SmartSuite, which we will make ready to connect, as soon as we can view the requirements of the Beta version.

We are ready to enable our clients to share the relevant data from the comprehensive ‘point of production’ service intelligence we can make available, including the origin and type of waste, the parties involved in the transfer, collection and delivery points, and the dates and volumes of Waste movement.

The updates on digital waste tracking have been slower than the Government had intended, but Integrated Skills is ready to move, as soon as the new legislation is published…

Watch this space.