DWTS in Scotland and Northern Ireland: the January 2027 deadline

The Digital Waste Tracking Service is UK-wide, but it does not start everywhere at once. England and Wales went first: the mandate has applied there since 1 October 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow from January 2027, giving sites in those nations three extra months to prepare.

The date

Waste receiving sites licensed or permitted to receive waste in Scotland and Northern Ireland must start recording and submitting waste digitally from January 2027. The service itself is the same one used across the UK, run by DEFRA.

The regulators

Enforcement is local. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA, enforces the rules in Scotland. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, DAERA, enforces them in Northern Ireland through its agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). The Environment Agency covers England, and Natural Resources Wales covers Wales.

What is the same

The mechanics do not change by nation. Each load has to be recorded within two working days, with the waste type, EWC code, quantity, vehicle and carrier details, and submitted to the service. There are the same two ways to submit: through software that connects to the API, or by uploading the DEFRA spreadsheet. The DWTS compliance hub explains both routes.

What to do now

January 2027 is not as far off as it sounds. Register with DEFRA, get your API credentials, and test your workflow in the sandbox well before your mandatory date. LoadLog connects to the DEFRA API directly and checks carrier registrations and EWC codes as you record a load. The carrier lookup covers all four UK public registers, including SEPA, so a Scottish carrier is checked in the same step as an English one. You can start on the free plan today, and Compliance Lite is £12 a month when you need unlimited notes.

Each nation has its own page with the setup steps: Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.