Digital waste tracking
Can I report receipt of waste with a spreadsheet instead of software?
Last checked 13 October 2026
Yes. There are two ways to send DEFRA your receipt of waste data, and the law does not prefer one over the other. GOV.UK’s Report receipt of waste guidance puts it in one sentence:
“There are 2 ways you can report your receipt of waste: 1. Using an application programming interface (API). 2. Completing and uploading a spreadsheet.”
What the spreadsheet route is
“If you do not have the software needed to use the API, you can send your data using Defra’s receipt of waste template spreadsheet.”
GOV.UK lists three steps: download the template, complete the mandatory data fields, upload the completed spreadsheet. You still register with the service whichever route you use. “The service costs £26 per year for each organisation on your account” and “The first payment is due by 31 January 2027.” Technical help is on 03000 203 781, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
It is temporary, and DEFRA says so
DEFRA’s page on developing the service, updated 1 October 2026, describes the spreadsheet as a stopgap:
“We are developing an alternative way to submit data using a spreadsheet for waste receivers who currently do not have waste tracking software.”
“We will keep this method under review and withdraw it when appropriate. We currently expect it to remain in place until at least October 2027.”
A separate route is promised for people who cannot use digital services at all: “We will provide an alternative mechanism for those who meet the definition of a digitally excluded person.” That route does not exist yet.
What the spreadsheet leaves to you
The guidance describes three steps and no more. What it does not describe is anything around the data: a check against DEFRA’s rules before a load is sent, the two working day clock running for each load, the driver’s paperwork kept with the record, or a send that waits when the service is busy. Those are the things waste tracking software is for, ours or anyone else’s, and they are the honest reason to pay for one.
Which should you use?
If you receive a handful of loads a week and someone in the office is happy to key them in, the spreadsheet is free and it is enough. If loads arrive every day, if more than one person logs them, or if you would rather the checks and the deadline were watched for you, software earns its keep. The free GOV.UK route is the right default; software is the choice you make when the time it saves is worth more than the subscription. Our receiving sites page sets out what DutyOS does, and the pricing page what it costs.
Sources: GOV.UK, Report receipt of waste (updated 25 September 2026) and GOV.UK, Developing the digital waste tracking service (updated 1 October 2026), both read on 13 October 2026. DutyOS Ltd is one of the listed providers and is not affiliated with DEFRA.