Compliance doesn’t have to mean more paperwork. In fact, the move towards digital waste tracking could be an opportunity to reduce some of the administration involved in managing waste information. The key is making the digital process fit around the way businesses already work.
That’s the thinking behind Okappy’s proposed DEFRA integration.
Start with the information you already have
For many businesses, the Waste Transfer Note already contains a large amount of the information required for reporting. So why start again?
The proposed Okappy solution is designed to use existing information wherever possible, with a “Submit to Defra”button added to the existing Waste Transfer Note workflow.
Any additional information required by DEFRA can then be collected before submission.
Step 1: Complete the Waste Transfer Note
The normal job information is recorded in Okappy. Supporting documents, notes, photographs and other information can also be attached to the job. Okappy already supports jobs, templates, checksheets, attachments, notes, customer and site records and mobile workflows.
Step 2: Select “Submit to Defra”
The proposed workflow adds a submission option to the Waste Transfer Note. The system can then identify what information is already available and what additional information is required.
Step 3: Check the information
Before anything is submitted, Okappy would check whether the receipt contains the required information. Instead of simply saying “submission failed”, the intention is to give users clear instructions.
For example: “Carrier registration number is missing. Add the number or provide a reason.”
That’s much more useful to someone trying to complete a job than a technical error message.
Step 4: Submit digitally
Once the information has passed validation, the proposed integration would submit the receipt through DEFRA’s API.
DEFRA itself says API integration is intended to allow businesses to automatically upload waste receipt information from their existing software. (GOV.UK)
Step 5: Keep the record
The proposed Okappy system would store the submission information against the job, including the DEFRA Waste Tracking ID and response. That means the information isn’t simply sent away and forgotten. It’s part of the job record.
Step 6: Correct if necessary
Mistakes happen. If something needs changing, the proposed workflow would allow an authorised user to correct the information and send an update.
The bigger picture
This is what we mean when we talk about getting ahead of the curve. The objective isn’t simply to give businesses a button that says “Submit to DEFRA”. It’s to make digital reporting fit naturally into the way they already manage work.
We’re still developing the functionality in collaboration with Defra. But, by working on the process now, we’re giving ourselves and our customers time to understand what’s required and build a solution around it.
