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Waste Transfer Notes explained: Requirements, completion and retention

UK Waste Regulations require businesses that transfer their waste to another party to maintain a signed record of the transfer and keep this for at least two years.

Retaining waste transfer notes is essential for demonstrating that your business has taken responsibility for the waste it produces.

Failure to provide a transfer note is a criminal offence with the legal implications of warnings, cautions, prosecution and fixed penalty notices.

💡 This article applies to non-hazardous waste transfers. Hazardous waste requires a more detailed consignment note. For more details, refer to our full hazardous waste article.

When is a waste transfer note required?

The Duty of Care Regulations apply to any transfer of commercial waste. See our full classification of commercial waste article for more details.

Waste transfer notes are required whenever commercial waste is passed to another party. Here are the most common scenarios:

Disposing of waste at a commercial recycling centre or waste transfer station.
Passing commercial waste to a private waste collection provider.
Passing waste to a commercial waste collection service provided by the local council.

Different types of waste transfer notes

The Duty of Care Regulations permit several different types of waste transfer notes:

A Waste Collection Invoice or Paper Transfer Note

For one-off waste collections, commercial waste collection providers typically include all the details of the waste transfer on their invoice, which is then signed by both parties.

Season tickets/Annual waste transfer notes

These are used when you have a regular waste or recycling collection service, either with the local council or a commercial waste collection provider.

In addition to the standard details on a waste transfer note, a waste collection provider will maintain a record of:

The time and date of all collections.
The number of sacks/weight collected on each occasion.

A business waste collection season ticket will need to be reissued each year. Some waste providers will include a season ticket administration charge within their commercial waste collection costs.

How to fill out a waste transfer note

We recommend relying on a trusted waste collection provider who can arrange the necessary paperwork for waste transfer notes. However, if you prefer to prepare the document yourself, the GOV.UK website provides a standard waste transfer note template you can use.

A waste transfer note records the details of a waste transfer between the organisation that produces the waste and the company that collects it. The standard form is completed in four sections.

Section A: Description of the waste

Provide a clear description of the waste being transferred. This includes the written description of the waste, its Waste Regulations code (EWC code), how the waste is contained, such as sacks, skips, drums or loose, and the quantity being transferred.

Section B: Current holder of the waste (transferor)

This section is completed by the business transferring the waste. It records the organisation’s name and address, postcode, SIC code, and local authority area.

The transferor must confirm their role in relation to the waste, for example, whether they are the producer of the waste, the holder of an environmental permit, or operating under a registered waste exemption.

Section C: Person collecting the waste (transferee)

This section is usually completed by the company collecting the waste. It records the collector’s name, company address, and confirmation that they are authorised to handle waste, such as holding a registered waste carrier licence, environmental permit, or relevant exemption where applicable.

Section D: The transfer

This section records the details of the transfer itself. It includes the address of the transfer or collection point, the date of transfer, and the time, where relevant. If a waste broker or dealer arranged the transfer, their details and registration number is also recorded.

Signatures and declaration

Both the transferor and the transferee must sign the waste transfer note. By signing, the transferor confirms that they have applied the waste hierarchy as required under Regulation 12 of the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011. The signatures must also include the name of the person signing and the organisation they represent.

How long must waste transfer notes be kept?

Businesses must keep waste transfer notes for at least two years from the date the waste was transferred. This is a requirement under waste duty of care regulations and allows regulators to verify how waste has been handled and where it has been sent.

Waste transfer notes may be stored digitally or as paper copies, but they must be accessible if requested by the Environment Agency or local authority.