Digital waste tracking implementation date delayed

Defra has announced that mandatory digital waste tracking will now come into effect from April 2026.

It had originally been planned for April 2025 with the introduction of legislation to come into force across the UK. We discussed the government’s response to its consultation on ‘Implementation of mandatory digital waste tracking’ here.

Reason for delay

In February 2025 Defra published an (undated) letter addressing stakeholders. Defra states it has received feedback from many industry stakeholders and delivery partners indicating the April 2025 deadline presented significant challenges. As a result of this feedback, and also through the interrogation of Defra’s plans, Defra has made the “difficult decision” to defer the implementation date.

Defra further outlined that delaying until April 2026 would ensure the new IT service is fit for purpose and increases confidence levels that the needs of stakeholder groups are met. In addition, the delay will ensure testing of the new service is comprehensive.

Will there be a further delay?

Defra does state its ability “to give assurance on the timing of a full mandatory digital reporting system is limited”. But by working with stakeholders it will endeavour to have the digital service in place from April 2026. A further update on the scope and delivery will be provided by May 2025.

The letter concludes saying the UK government, Scottish government, Welsh government and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs NI remain committed to supporting the development and implementation of a robust, high-quality digital waste tracking service that will be instrumental in the transition to a circular economy.

The new regime

Defra aims to deliver a waste tracking service that is simple to use and provides value for all users. Its vision is to make it easy to track waste and resources in real time throughout the economy.

The government’s policy paper outlines the reasons behind mandatory digital waste tracking. The new regime will:

• provide a comprehensive way to see what is happening to the waste produced in the UK
• help support more effective regulation of waste
• help businesses comply with their duty of care with regards to waste
• help the move towards a more circular economy by maximising the value extracted from resources
• reduce the ability for waste criminals to operate and undercut legitimate businesses through their systemic mis-handling of waste, illegal exports, and flytipping.

Clyde & Co are specialists in dealing with regulatory claims, and we monitor developments around this topic constantly. For more on this subject, you can read all of our previous articles here, and if you have any questions about this topic you can contact Rod Hunt or any of our Safety, Health, Environment and Regulatory team.