What will Digital Waste Tracking cost? Fees and software explained

Digital Waste Tracking introduces two distinct costs: the DEFRA service charge set by regulation, and the cost of whatever software (if any) you use to capture and submit your records. Here is exactly what each costs, who pays it, and when.

How much does Digital Waste Tracking cost?

The £26 annual service charge is intended to recover the cost of establishing, operating and maintaining the Digital Waste Tracking service. It is payable to the designated person (the Secretary of State) on the first occasion the obligation to comply arises, and then on each anniversary of that date. It is deliberately low: DEFRA's stated aim was to remove financial barriers to compliance for smaller operators.

The DEFRA Digital Waste Tracking service charge is £26 per legal entity per year — set by the Digital Waste Tracking (England) Regulations 2026. Software costs are entirely separate and vary by provider.

What does the £26 cover?

The charge attaches to the legal entity, not to each individual site. A company operating several permitted sites under one legal entity pays one annual £26 charge. Separate legal entities each pay their own charge. The DEFRA web portal (for manually entering records) is included in the service; third-party software that connects via the API is priced separately by each provider.

Is Digital Waste Tracking software free?

There are two ways to submit records to the Digital Waste Tracking service:

• →DEFRA web portal — enter each waste movement manually through the government service. No additional software cost; suited to lower volumes but time-consuming at scale.
• →API-connected software — a third-party waste management system submits records automatically using DEFRA's API. Pricing varies by provider; some offer free plans for small operators, others charge a monthly or annual subscription.

For sites receiving large volumes of waste — transfer stations, recycling facilities, materials recovery facilities — API-connected software typically pays for itself in staff time saved versus manual portal entry.

Who has to pay the Digital Waste Tracking fee?

In practice, this means any organisation that holds an environmental permit or waste management licence to accept waste (receivers), and from October 2027 it will extend to waste carriers, brokers and dealers. Businesses that only produce waste and hand it to a licensed carrier do not themselves create records in the tracking service and so do not pay the charge.

When does the fee become payable?

The service has been in voluntary public beta since April 2026. Receivers who registered early will begin paying the annual charge when mandatory compliance starts in October 2026; the 12-month rolling period then renews on each anniversary of that date.

How does the cost compare to a paper system?

The real cost for most organisations is not the £26 service charge but the time and system investment required to capture accurate data at the point of each movement. Sites that already run a waste management system at the gate will generally find integration straightforward; those relying entirely on paper will need to invest in a digital capture process before October 2026.

• →DEFRA service charge: £26 per legal entity per year — fixed by regulation, applies equally to all.
• →Software: £0 (DEFRA web portal, manual entry) to a monthly subscription for API-connected waste management software.
• →Internal preparation: staff training, data-quality work on EWC codes and carrier registrations, process changes at the gate or weighbridge — typically the largest one-off cost.

This guide is general information about Digital Waste Tracking costs, not legal or financial advice. Verify your obligations and the current fee level against the primary sources below and, if in doubt, consult your environmental regulator or a specialist adviser.