DEFRA’s digital waste tracking changes aren’t simply about replacing a paper form with an online form.
For businesses receiving waste, the change means thinking carefully about how information is captured, checked and reported.
And for waste and drainage businesses already managing large numbers of jobs, loads and waste movements, that could be particularly important.
What will businesses need to record?
Under the new system, waste receiving sites will need to report the required information for each receipt of controlled waste, as explained in DEFRA’s reporting guidance.
That can include information about:
The receipt
- Date and time the waste was received
- Receiving site
- Relevant customer or internal reference
The carrier
- Carrier registration number
- Carrier organisation
- Vehicle registration
- Means of transport
The waste
- Waste description
- EWC code
- Physical form
- Number and type of containers
- Weight
- Whether the weight is estimated
And, where applicable:
- Hazardous waste information
- POPs information
- Chemical or biological components
- Disposal or recovery information
The exact information required will depend on the waste being received.
The problem isn’t necessarily the data
Many businesses will already capture a significant amount of this information.
The problem is often where that information lives.
A weighbridge system may contain the weight. A Waste Transfer Note may contain the waste description. A spreadsheet may contain additional information. An email may contain a reference. A paper form may contain a signature.
The result can be a lot of information, but not necessarily one connected digital record.
That’s where the transition to digital reporting creates an opportunity.
Capture information once
The principle behind Okappy’s proposed approach is straightforward:
If information has already been captured, don’t make someone type it again.
The proposed Okappy workflow is designed to build on information already contained within the existing Waste Transfer Note and Okappy job.
Additional DEFRA-specific information can then be collected where necessary before the submission is made.
This matters because every additional manual step creates another opportunity for errors, missing information, duplication, delays and administrative workload.
The two-working-day deadline
DEFRA’s current guidance requires waste receipts in England and Wales to be reported within two working days, starting on the day after the waste is received.
That means businesses need more than a system for entering information.
They need visibility.
Which receipts have been submitted? Which haven’t? Which have failed? Which have warnings? Which are approaching the deadline?
Okappy’s proposed reporting functionality is designed around exactly these questions.
Preparing now makes sense
The good news is that businesses don’t have to wait until the deadline to start preparing.
The DEFRA public beta is already available, and DEFRA is encouraging waste receivers and software developers to test the service ahead of mandatory implementation.
For waste and drainage businesses, now is a good time to look at how waste information moves through the business.
Where is it captured? Who enters it? Where is it stored? How is it checked? How would you find it if you needed it?
And perhaps most importantly:
Could you submit it digitally without having to enter everything again?
That’s the challenge, and the opportunity, presented by DEFRA’s changes. Contact us to find out how we can help streamline your business.
