UK to roll out mandatory digital waste tracking in April 2025
In just six months, DEFRA is set to roll out Mandatory Digital Waste Tracking (MDWT) across all four devolved nations.
Delayed by a year but now just around the corner, the new system aims to bring waste tracking into the digital age with a comprehensive and standardised approach. At Endurance, we’re here to help you understand the key aspects of this initiative and ensure that you’re ready for the changes ahead.
What is MDWT?
The MDWT system is intended to simplify and centralise the tracking of waste across the UK, introducing a digital record to monitor waste and its lifecycle. By moving from fragmented systems to a unified platform, MDWT aims to reduce waste crime, provide transparency, and support the UK’s circular economy goals by making resource use more visible and trackable.
What Will MDWT Cover?
Under MDWT, digital tracking requirements will cover several types of waste:
- Controlled Waste: This includes hazardous and non-hazardous waste from households, commercial sites, and industrial sources.
- Extractive Waste: Waste from mining, quarries, and other extraction activities will also be tracked.
- Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs): Waste containing POPs must be identified and tracked, enhancing safety and oversight.
What Does This Mean for Councils Across the UK?
- Household Waste: You won’t need to track waste from individual household collections. However, once this waste arrives at a receiving site, it must be recorded and tracked within the MDWT system.
- Commercial and Industrial Collections: For any paid collections from commercial or industrial premises, waste movements must be tracked starting from the producer’s site.
- Reduced Reporting: Information previously submitted manually through systems like WasteDataFlow will now be recorded directly in the new MDWT system – which should save time and increase information reliability.
Next Steps
As MDWT’s implementation date approaches, we expect more details to emerge.
At Endurance, we’re committed to thinking ahead to keep you ahead so be sure to keep an eye on our feed for industry insights.
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