How much does DWTS cost? A complete breakdown

Using the Digital Waste Tracking Service incurs a direct government charge once mandatory reporting begins, alongside potential software investments. Here is a clear breakdown of the regulatory fees and compliance options.

The DEFRA annual service fee

Starting 1 October 2026, the service requires a flat annual charge of £26. This fee is billed per legal entity (per organisation), not per individual site. If your business operates multiple separate yards under a single company registration number, you pay just one £26 fee annually. The service remains free during the public beta phase leading up to the deadline.

This upfront fee gives you rolling 12-month access to log records and view your submission history. There are no additional per-transaction charges, volume-based rates, or penalty fees for utilizing an API connection rather than manual uploads.

The £26 rate is established via statutory instrument and covers core operational costs of the central system. It is paid directly to the regulatory portal during account setup or annual renewal.

Cost of compliance software

The £26 government fee covers basic access to the central reporting system. It does not include data management or operational software. While you can choose to enter data manually into the official spreadsheet templates at no extra software cost, active waste yards generally find manual entry highly inefficient.

Software integration costs vary depending on features:

LoadLog starts at £12 per month for unlimited WTNs, offering automated API sync, real-time carrier licence validation, offline data entry, digital signatures, and automated audit tracking. A free tier is available for up to 5 WTNs per month to assist with testing and low-volume operations.

Alternative enterprise platforms range from £50 per month to upwards of £350 per month based on transaction volume, with many requiring custom sales quotes.

To view a detailed feature and price evaluation, visit our DWTS software comparison page.

Total annual cost estimate

For a standard small-to-medium waste receiving facility utilizing LoadLog's entry-level plan, the predictable annual commitment breaks down as follows:

• Central service annual fee: £26
• LoadLog subscription: £12 per month (£144 per year)
• Total estimated investment: £170 per year

By comparison, relying solely on the manual spreadsheet route saves the software fee but introduces significant administrative overhead. For a yard handling ten loads a day, the labour costs of manual data entry, formatting validation, and error correction quickly surpass the cost of automated software.

What the service fee covers

The annual charge grants full access to the reporting infrastructure, the Receipt of Waste API endpoints, and the spreadsheet upload module. It allows your organisation to fulfil its legal duties, download historic transaction logs, and manage user permissions. It does not include dedicated technical support for third-party software setup, administrative data auditing, or internal record management.

The service is managed and maintained by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Complete regulatory details can be found on the official GOV.UK portal.