Waste returns software: the quarter without the spreadsheet
The July to September waste return is due by 31 October. Permitted sites that treat, store or dispose of waste file a tonnage return with their regulator, quarterly for most permits and once a year for annual permits, and the figures come from the loads the site has already received and removed. LoadLog's Environment Agency waste return helper turns those records into the figures the return asks for, so the job is a check rather than a re-entry exercise.
Who files a waste return
In England, the operator of a permitted site that treats, stores or disposes of waste files the return with the Environment Agency. In Wales the same sites file with Natural Resources Wales, on its own template and with the same quarterly rhythm.
LoadLog produces the Environment Agency return today. The Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish returns still need the regulator's own form.
The quarterly cycle
The four quarters, and the month each return is filed in, are the same for the Environment Agency and for Natural Resources Wales.
| Quarter | Quarter ends | Return due |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 31 March | 31 March | 30 April |
| 1 April to 30 June | 30 June | 31 July |
| 1 July to 30 September | 30 September | 31 October |
| 1 October to 31 December | 31 December | 31 January |
| Annual permit | 31 December | 1 to 31 January |
A quarter with no movements still needs a return. The Environment Agency's form generates a nil return when no tonnage was received or removed, so a quiet quarter is never treated as a filing, and a return is needed for every reporting period unless the permit has been fully surrendered.
What the return asks for
Four things, and each one maps to a column the helper produces.
- Tonnage by EWC code for the quarter, with the EWC description beside each code.
- The number of notes behind each code, so a total can be traced back to the loads that made it.
- Tonnes ready to paste into the Environment Agency's spreadsheet, alongside the received weight in kilograms.
- Anything that needs attention before you submit, such as a note with no treatment code.
The recovery and disposal split, the hazardous waste summary and the tonnage summaries cover the wider question of where the tonnage went, and each downloads as CSV or PDF.
How LoadLog produces it
The EA waste return helper reads the notes already recorded in your account for the quarter and groups them by EWC code. It is on screen as well as downloadable, and the Environment Agency's submission window for the selected quarter is shown on the page, so the deadline is beside the figures rather than in a separate document.
- Tonnage by EWC code for the quarter you choose, with the EWC description beside each code.
- Notes with no treatment code flagged in the table before you download, not after the regulator asks.
- Totals for received weight, note count and the number of entries flagged for attention.
- CSV and PDF output, with the tonnes column ready to paste into the Environment Agency spreadsheet.
The EA waste return helper is part of Compliance Lite, at £12 a month. Vehicle sites that file the ELV annual return get a second worksheet on Compliance Plus, at £49 a month: the ELV annual return worksheet groups end-of-life vehicle tonnage by quarter, EWC code and treatment code, downloads as CSV or PDF, and deliberately reports no vehicle counts, because LoadLog holds no vehicle-count data to report.
What it replaces
The spreadsheet, the weighbridge tickets and the re-keying between them. The figures come from notes that have already been submitted to the Digital Waste Tracking Service, so the tonnage and the EWC codes are the ones that were filed at the gate, not a second set typed up at quarter end.
That is the difference worth having. A spreadsheet return asks you to rebuild the quarter from paperwork and hope the totals agree. A return built from your submitted records asks you to check a summary that is already in front of you.
Not just the return
- The compliance check lists where records are incomplete across the period.
- Rejected submissions shows what the service refused and why, in plain English.
- The inspection pack puts the period's submitted notes, tonnages and audit trail into one download.
See every report, with the plan each one comes on.
Frequently asked questions
When is the waste return due?
A quarter ends on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September or 31 December, and the return is filed in the month that follows: 1 to 30 April, 1 to 31 July, 1 to 31 October and 1 to 31 January. Annual permits file between 1 and 31 January. The July to September return is therefore due by 31 October.
Who signs off the return?
You do. The operator, or the technically competent manager named on the permit, checks the figures and submits the return. LoadLog prepares the numbers from the records already in your account; it does not sign the return on your behalf.
What if my records are incomplete?
The helper flags the gaps before you download, so you see them while you can still fix them. Notes with no treatment code are flagged in the table, and the compliance check report lists the wider record gaps across the period.
Does LoadLog submit the return to the regulator?
No. The helper produces the figures and a CSV and PDF you file yourself, and submission is separate. If your site also accepts hazardous waste, there is a second return to file: the consignee return, which is a different report and goes to the regulator on its own timetable.
Does LoadLog cover Scotland or Northern Ireland waste returns?
No. LoadLog produces the Environment Agency return. The SEPA and NIEA returns still need the regulator's own form, and so does the Natural Resources Wales return, which is not part of any plan.
How far back can the helper report?
You choose the quarter. The helper reports the period you select from the records in your account, so the answer depends on how far back those records go.
The deadlines above are the Environment Agency's and Natural Resources Wales' published submission windows. If you want the wider picture on what each nation asks for, the guides on waste tonnage returns and hazardous waste consignee returns set out the forms nation by nation. The DWTS software comparison covers the other options, and the Scotland and Northern Ireland pages cover what those sites need.