Free waste transfer note software: what you get for £0

Yes, there is. But "free" needs a little unpacking, because there are two separate costs in digital waste tracking, and only one of them can be avoided. Both sit alongside the ordinary waste transfer note duty, which still applies.

The two costs

First, there is DEFRA's system fee. Whatever software you use, DEFRA charges £26 a year for each organisation on your account to use the Digital Waste Tracking Service. That applies to everyone and cannot be avoided. It is separate from anything you pay a software provider.

Second, there is the software itself. This is where "free" is possible.

What to check before you choose a free plan

Free is only useful if it covers the job. Ask these five questions before you create an account:

• Does the free plan submit to the report receipt of waste service, or does it only store the record?
• Does it check the carrier registration and the receiving site permit number, or leave both to you?
• Is there a monthly note limit, and what happens when you reach it?
• Can you export your records if you leave?
• Is it a free plan, or a free trial that becomes a paid plan?

A free trial is not a free plan. Check the price after the trial ends before you move your records across.

What you actually get free

LoadLog has a free tier that covers up to 5 waste transfer notes a month. That is enough for a genuinely low volume of loads, and it is free for as long as you need it. Each record still carries the receiving site's permit number.

On top of that, Compliance Lite at £12 a month removes the limit entirely, with bulk entry and CSV import for the days when the yard is flat out. See LoadLog pricing for what each plan includes. So you can start with a genuinely free plan and only pay when the volume justifies it.

When £12 a month is the better deal

The free plan suits a site doing a handful of loads a month. Once you are past five notes, the workaround costs more than the subscription: splitting loads, keeping a second record, or moving to a spreadsheet that still has to be uploaded to DEFRA. Compliance Lite at £12 a month removes the note limit and adds bulk entry and CSV import.

The honest version

Free software does not make the DEFRA fee disappear. Plan for £26 a year per organisation regardless. What the free tier does is remove the software cost entirely for lower volumes, which is exactly what many sites need.