Live news from GOV.UK and in-depth compliance guides — covering Digital Waste Tracking, BREEAM Wst01, landfill tax, and EA enforcement for UK construction contractors.
Latest from GOV.UK
Live · updated hourly
Live42 <mark>waste</mark> sites were inspected, resulting in 17 permits suspended or revoked and over 30 criminal investigations triggered.…
GOV.UK
24 Jul 2026
LiveFire-risk among Environment Agency’s many concerns
GOV.UK
22 Jul 2026
Scotland's Digital Waste Tracking (Scotland) Regulations 2026 make digital waste recording mandatory from 1 January 2027, regulated by SEPA — not the Environment Agency. Scottish construction contractors must prepare now, and BREEAM Wst01 means many already should be.
SEPA
July 2026
DEFRA's official guidance on the Digital Waste Tracking Service, which becomes mandatory for all waste receiving sites from 1 October 2026.
GOV.UK · DEFRA
Updated May 2026
HMRC has confirmed the landfill tax rates for 2026/27: £130.75 per tonne for active waste and £8.65 per tonne for qualifying inactive (inert) waste.
GOV.UK · HMRC
April 2026
GOV.UK sets out what waste producers, carriers, and receivers must do under the Digital Waste Tracking regime — and the penalties for non-compliance.
GOV.UK · DEFRA
April 2026
DEFRA has confirmed the Digital Waste Tracking mandate will come into force across England on 1 October 2026, with no further deferrals expected.
GOV.UK · DEFRA
March 2026
The EA has increased targeted enforcement operations in the construction sector, focusing on illegal dumping, use of unlicensed carriers, and duty of care failures.
GOV.UK · Environment Agency
February 2026
Developer clients are increasingly requiring BREEAM In-Use certification and ESG waste data from their main contractors, creating a data gap that paper systems cannot fill.
BREEAM · BRE Group
Industry insight 2025
The Environment Agency requires all waste carriers operating in England to hold a valid registration. Using an unregistered carrier exposes the waste producer to fines of up to £5,000.
GOV.UK · Environment Agency
Updated 2025
GOV.UK guidance sets out the duty of care obligations that apply to anyone who produces, imports, carries, keeps, treats, or disposes of controlled waste.
GOV.UK · DEFRA
Updated 2024
Although SWMPs are no longer legally mandatory in England, they remain best practice and a BREEAM Wst01 prerequisite — with a clear commercial case for maintaining them.
GOV.UK · DEFRA
Industry best practice
Correct EWC code assignment is a legal requirement and a BREEAM necessity. Misclassification can trigger higher landfill tax rates and duty of care failures.
GOV.UK · Environment Agency
Updated guidance 2024
BREEAM's Wst01 credit is the most frequently failed category on major UK construction projects, requiring a 95% diversion rate with a full digital movement register.
BREEAM · BRE Group
BREEAM UK NC 2018 (current)
Ready to get compliant? England is October 2026 — Scotland is January 2027.
Start a free WasteMapper project in under 2 minutes. Works for EA and SEPA compliance.
No credit card required