Licensed refuse-handling businesses won’t have to report the materials they accept on the long-awaited digital waste tracking service until October 2026, the government has revealed.
Ministers last year announced that the system would be in place by next April.
But now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said that recording of waste received won’t be mandated for permitted businesses for a further six months.
It added that it would “consider over the next few months” whether there are any non-licensed but authorised operators for whom “it would be prudent to mandate use of the service”.
“We will confirm by September 2025, if this is the case,” said the department in an update.
Household Waste Recycling Centre operators will not need to record household waste received using the digital service. 
The department said it would “engage with local authorities regarding the feasibility of recording commercial waste accepted at these sites during the initial phase”.
The Recycling Association, which supports introduction of digital waste tracking to boost data and cut crime, warned last year that the timetable for its implementation could slip.
