DWTS for composting and green waste sites: what you need to know

Composting sites turn garden and food waste into compost, and from October 2026 the ones that hold an environmental permit have to record every incoming load with the Digital Waste Tracking Service. Here is how to tell if it applies to you and what to do about it.

Are composting sites in scope?

The DWTS applies to receiving sites, and a composting site that accepts green or food waste from a third party is a receiving site. If you hold a permit to receive that waste, you are in scope from October 2026 in England and Wales, and January 2027 in Scotland.

The technology does not matter. Open windrow and in-vessel composting are both in scope if the permit allows you to accept waste from others. What counts is what crosses your gate.

Open windrow versus in-vessel: the permit is the tell

The distinction that matters is not how you compost, but what your permit says. Many open windrow sites operate under a standard rules permit, and those sites are in scope.

In-vessel sites that take food waste are usually permitted and in scope too. If your site processes only material you produce yourself, with no permit to accept waste from others, you are likely outside Phase 1, the same as an on-farm digester that runs on its own feedstock.

The EWC codes for green and food waste

Composting waste sits in a narrow band of European Waste Catalogue codes, mostly the 20 02 chapter for garden and park waste and the 20 01 chapter for separately collected kitchen and canteen waste.

A load of source-segregated garden waste is coded differently from mixed municipal green waste. Getting that right means the record is correct on the day, rather than fixed after an inspection.

The exemption question

The October 2026 Phase 1 date is set for permitted sites. If you operate under a registered waste exemption rather than a full permit, DEFRA has not confirmed a firm Phase 1 date for your group yet.

Do not assume the permit-holder rules apply to you automatically. Check your specific exemption category with your regulator, the Environment Agency in England, NRW in Wales, SEPA in Scotland or NIEA in Northern Ireland.

What to do now

If you are in scope, register with DEFRA's Digital Waste Tracking Service and get your API credentials, then link your organisation to your permit number. Every load needs a digital record within two working days of the day after it arrives, and there is a £26 per organisation annual fee.

You can submit through compatible software or a temporary spreadsheet upload expected to remain until at least October 2027. The software route handles the seasonal peaks without extra staff time, and it is free until the end of 2026 for anyone who signs up before October.