Defra digital waste tracking · from 1 October 2026
Every tip filed with Defra overnight, and its state in plain words by morning.
From 1 October 2026, the operator of a permitted site must record every load it receives with Defra within two working days, or face a fine. TreadTrace already holds the record of every tip your drivers make. This is the part that files it.
Free for 30 days. No card.Book a walkthrough
The tip log with its search and Defra filter: six tips, one filing tonight, one rejected with Defra's reason, three reported and locked, and one at another operator's site marked as theirs to report, each with its driver, weighbridge ticket and weight.
The rule, in plain words
- Who
- The operator of the permitted site that receives the load. If your vans tip at your own depot, that is you. A tip at a recycler somebody else runs is theirs to report.
- When
- England and Wales from 1 October 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland from January 2027.
- How soon
- Within two working days of receiving the load. Weekends do not count.
- What
- The receiving site and its permit, the carrier and the vehicle, the waste code (16 01 03 for end-of-life tyres), the weight and whether it was weighed or estimated, and your own references.
This is a summary for tyre-waste operators, not legal advice. Defra's guidance on the Report receipt of waste service is the authority.
What TreadTrace does
Nobody in the office does anything
The driver's tip is the reported act and the tip record is what is reported. The day between the tip and the night's run is the office's window to correct it. After that, it files.
- Files every tip at your reporting sites, every night, with nobody pressing anything
- Sends the weighbridge net as measured, or the figure derived from the counts as an estimate, and says which
- Carries the tip reference, the weighbridge ticket and every collection reference with it
- Locks an accepted tip, with Defra's tracking reference on the record, so what Defra holds is what you hold
- Shows a rejection in Defra's own wording, leaves the tip editable, and files it again the next night
- Tells the office when the last run happened, so a stalled night is never a surprise
What you still do
Three things, once
- 01Register your organisation with Defra's waste tracking service and pay its annual charge.
- 02Paste your API code and carrier registration number into Settings, and choose the date to report from.
- 03On each tip site, say who reports there, and give yours their permit and recovery code.
Under five minutes for an admin with the Defra account open. A rejection later is fixed the same way: on the site, the setting or the grade, never by a developer.
Where every tip stands, in words
Each tip wears one state on the tip log and on its record. No dashboard, no badge, no email: the office reads the log and can say where any tip is with Defra in seconds.
- Files tonight
with the day and time Defra needs it by
- Reported
with the tracking reference, when it was filed, and that it is locked
- Rejected
with Defra's error wording and the deadline
- Overdue
a reportable tip past its deadline without acceptance
- Cannot report
naming the missing fact: no vehicle, no permit, no recovery code, no API code
- Not reported
offsite, the site operator reports, or before your report-from date
Questions about the deadline
We tip at a recycler, not our own site. Do we need this?
Not for the receipt itself: the recycler reports what it receives. You still get the rest of the product, and the tip log records where every load went. Defra's second phase, in which carriers report each pickup, is expected later and is not built yet.
Do we still register with Defra?
Yes. Your organisation registers with Defra's waste tracking service, pays its annual charge and generates an API code there. TreadTrace cannot do that for you. You paste the code into Settings once.
What if a driver tipped at the wrong site?
Correct the tip in the office before the night's run and the corrected version is what files. Once Defra has accepted it, the tip is locked and a late correction is made in Defra's own service; the record says so.
What if Defra is down, or our annual charge has lapsed?
The attempt is recorded as failed rather than rejected, the tip stays due, and it is tried again the next night. Nothing is lost and nothing files twice.
Does the driver have to do anything new?
No. The driver tips as they always have. Third-party sites appear in their site picker beside your own, and nothing about reporting is said on the device.
How long does setup take?
Under five minutes for an admin with the values from your Defra account to hand: the API code, your carrier registration number, and the date to report from. Each tip site then says who reports there and carries its permit and recovery code.
Filing by 1 October 2026
Start free and set up Defra reporting in under five minutes. Tips file overnight from the first night, trial included.
Free for 30 days. No card.Book a walkthrough