Waste duty of care and record keeping: a practical business guide
Understand waste duty of care, transfer notes, hazardous waste records and supplier evidence, with practical guidance for England, Scotland and Wales.
Read the complete guideDuty of care & record keeping
Connect supplier reviews with waste responsibilities and keep a useful record of the evidence behind your decisions.
Good waste records begin with a clear description of the waste and an understanding of who is responsible at each stage. Start with our complete guide, then explore transfer notes, hazardous and special waste documents, retention periods and digital tracking. Practical guides also help you resolve missing paperwork, connect collection and destination evidence, and manage records across several sites.
Start with the complete guide
Responsibilities and transfer notes
Who is responsible for business waste after collection?
Understand your waste duty of care after collection, what to check about contractors and destinations, and how to respond when the waste route changes.
Read the articleWhat is a waste transfer note and when do you need one?
Understand when business waste needs a transfer note, what counts as a valid record, and how invoices, regular collections and hazardous waste differ.
Read the articleHow to complete a waste transfer note
A practical waste transfer note walkthrough covering descriptions, waste codes, quantities, business details, signatures and checks before a collection.
Read the articleHow to write an accurate waste description
Write useful waste descriptions for business collections, including source processes, composition, contamination, handling information and classification evidence.
Read the articleEWC codes vs SIC codes: what goes on waste paperwork?
Understand the difference between waste classification and business activity codes, whose SIC code belongs on a note and how to resolve inconsistent entries.
Read the articleRegular collections and record retention
Annual waste transfer notes: how do season tickets work?
Understand when an annual waste transfer note can cover regular collections, what each load record needs and how national guidance differs.
Read the articleHow long should you keep waste records?
Understand how long to keep waste transfer notes, season tickets and hazardous waste records, with country, role and retention start-date distinctions.
Read the articleCan an invoice or weighbridge ticket replace a waste transfer note?
Check whether collection invoices and weighbridge tickets contain the required waste transfer information, and keep supporting records connected to the handover.
Read the articleElectronic waste transfer notes and signatures explained
Check electronic waste notes, signatures, completed copies, corrections and portal access, with clear guidance on what digital waste tracking does and does not replace.
Read the articleMissing, incorrect or unsigned waste transfer notes: what should you do?
Respond to missing waste records, inaccurate descriptions, wrong company details and absent signatures without inventing a retrospective paperwork history.
Read the articleDoes digital waste tracking replace waste transfer notes?
Understand why required waste notes continue alongside digital tracking, which receiving sites report now and how producers can manage the transition.
Read the articleHazardous and special waste documents
Waste transfer note vs consignment note: which do you need?
Choose the right waste movement records for non-hazardous, hazardous and Scottish special waste, with practical guidance on classification, parties and national rules.
Read the articleHow to complete a hazardous waste consignment note
A practical guide to hazardous waste consignment notes, covering the correct national form, waste details, certifications, copies and collection checks.
Read the articleHazardous waste consignee returns: what should producers receive?
Find out what a hazardous waste consignee return tells a producer, how it differs from a consignment note, and how to check, chase and retain the evidence.
Read the articleSpecial waste consignment notes in Scotland explained
Understand Scottish special waste notes, SEPA codes, collection confirmations, pre-notification, cross-border movements and the records your business needs.
Read the articleWhat paperwork is needed when a waste load is rejected?
Understand how to record a rejected waste load, preserve its audit trail and arrange the correct onward paperwork, with English hazardous waste rules explained.
Read the articleWaste audit trails and supplier evidence
How to build a waste audit trail from collection to destination
Build a useful business waste audit trail by connecting supplier checks, transfer documents, destinations, receipt evidence and unresolved questions.
Read the articleWhat evidence should you keep from waste supplier checks?
Keep a clear, dated waste supplier review with matched identities, registration and site evidence, source limitations, decisions and follow-up ownership.
Read the articleHow to manage waste records across multiple business sites
Organise waste records across branches, offices and operational sites while keeping holders, collection locations, national rules and supplier evidence clear.
Read the articleWaste hierarchy declarations: what are you confirming on a transfer note?
Understand the waste hierarchy declaration, what reasonable consideration involves, which evidence helps and how England, Wales and Scotland differ.
Read the articleExplore other topics
Supplier checks
Build a clearer picture of a waste supplier before appointing them or reviewing an existing relationship.
Explore the topicRegistrations & permits
Understand waste registrations, site permissions and the questions each type of record can answer.
Explore the topicCompany & regulatory information
Explore the company records and published regulatory history that provide context for a supplier review.
Explore the topicMonitoring & supplier management
Keep supplier reviews current and organise the work across your business, locations and internal client portfolios.
Explore the topicSites & waste types
Research waste facilities and operators using location, waste types and authorised activities.
Explore the topicWaste data & digital tracking
Navigate public waste information and understand how registers, historical evidence and digital tracking fit together.
Explore the topic