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Paper waste transfer notes have been the backbone of scrap metal compliance for decades. That's changing. The government's Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) service went live for voluntary use in April 2026, and it's being rolled out in phases — with scrap metal dealers landing in the second wave.
The rollout, in plain terms
- October 2026 — mandatory for permitted sites that receive waste (processors, recycling facilities) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- January 2027 — same requirement extended to Scotland
- October 2027 — mandatory for waste carriers, brokers and dealers — the phase that covers scrap metal dealers specifically
So if you're a scrap yard or merchant, the clock isn't running out tomorrow, but it is running. Phase 2 is confirmed, not speculative, and it's worth understanding now rather than scrambling in 2027.
What actually has to be logged
Digital Waste Tracking doesn't change what you're required to record — it changes how. Every waste movement will need a digital record covering:
- The waste itself (type, code, quantity, weight)
- Who produced it and who's carrying it
- Where it's going and the permit details of the receiving site
- The date and time of collection and delivery
- What happens to it — reused, recycled, recovered, or disposed of
Each party in the chain has to log their part of the record within two working days, and there's a flat annual fee of £26 for anyone creating or editing records on the system. It supplements your existing paperwork for now — hazardous waste consignee returns and waste transfer notes don't disappear overnight — but the direction of travel is clearly toward one national digital system replacing the old paper trail entirely.
Why it's happening
Waste crime — misdescribed loads, phantom paperwork, metal that's moved without a trace — is estimated to cost the UK over £1 billion a year. A live, centralised digital record makes that much harder to pull off. For legitimate dealers, it also cuts the other way: it's a much easier way to prove you did things properly if a transaction is ever questioned.
What this means for you now
You don't need to overhaul anything today. But it's worth:
- Getting comfortable with digital records now, rather than treating this as a 2027 problem — the businesses that adapt early won't be scrambling when it's mandatory
- Checking your current record-keeping actually captures what DWT will require — weights, dates, origin, destination — since good habits now make the transition trivial later
- Choosing buyers and platforms that are already digital-first, so the shift doesn't mean ripping up how you work
Already ahead of it
Every transaction on ScrapBays already generates a digital record — photos of the material, weight, grade, buyer, seller, and a timestamp, logged automatically the moment a deal is done. It's not built for DWT, but it's the same underlying habit the regulation is pushing the whole industry toward: a clear, traceable record of what moved, when, and between whom.
If you're selling scrap and want that record-keeping sorted without extra admin, that's exactly what ScrapBays gives you by default.
List your material on ScrapBays and deal with verified, licensed buyers — with a digital trail already built in. Sell on ScrapBays →
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