The legislation will now apply to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales from April 2026.
In a statement the nations confirmed that they would “remain committed” to developing a UK-wide digital waste tracking service that “supports the principles of a circular economy”.
It continued: “Over the past few months, both industry and our wider network of delivery partners have advised us that preparing for mandatory use of the service in the time available could prove exceptionally difficult.
“We acknowledge your concerns about having enough time to prepare for the new service and are taking these into consideration.”
Letsrecycle.com reported in early January that it looked likely that the scheme would be delayed, pending the outcome of the Dan Corry review and the direction of the Circular Economy Taskforce.
In October 2024, Defra announced that it will conduct an internal regulatory review led by economist Dan Corry.
The Circular Economy Taskforce was launched in December and will co-design of the first strategy to begin the transition to a circular economy in England.
Digital Waste Tracking ‘remains essential’
David Gudgeon, head of external affairs at Reconomy Connect, commented on the delay: “As speculated, Defra has announced today that Digital Waste Tracking will no longer be mandatory from April 2025, with the rollout now delayed until April 2026 to give businesses more time to prepare.
“A UK-wide digital waste tracking system remains essential for improving waste management, increasing transparency, and driving materials up the waste hierarchy. Accurate, real-time data will help tackle waste crime, support the circular economy, and ensure better environmental outcomes.”
DWT ‘won’t be a silver bullet’
Cathy Cook, LARAC chair, said: “Whilst it’s disappointing that another key policy deadline hasn’t been met, this is preferable to a rushed introduction of a complex system.
“We are confident that a Digital Waste Tracking approach will bring many benefits over the currently archaic system of Waste Transfer Notes. It won’t be a silver bullet, or a one size fits all solution, but it can be a vital step to addressing many challenges and unknowns across the waste sector, including reducing fly-tipping and waste crime, and collating better data on volumes and destinations of waste.
“The delay will allow additional time will help to ensure that Digital Waste Tracking can be introduced successfully, and we look forward to working with Defra on this, to ensure it works as tool for authorities to help bring waste tracking and data into the 21st century.”
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