What is a waste transfer note?
A waste transfer note is the written record that has to travel with a load of business waste every time it changes hands. Both the firm handing it over and the firm taking it must keep a copy for two years.
| Party | What they keep | How long |
|---|---|---|
| The firm handing the waste over | The note and the written description | Two years |
| The firm taking it | The same | Two years |
| A site licensed to receive waste | The note, plus a digital record from 1 October 2026 | Two years, and the digital record |
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it comes from the duty of care in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The idea is simple. Waste is somebody's responsibility at every point between the yard it left and the site it ends up on, and the note is the paper trail that says whose.
It is not a formality. If waste you carried is fly tipped, the note is what shows you handed it to somebody authorised to take it. Without one the trail stops at you.
A note can cover a single movement or a season of repeat collections of the same waste from the same place, which is why a regular round does not need a fresh one every week.
If you carry somebody else's waste you also need to be registered as a waste carrier, and your registration number goes on the note.
Where you keep it is your choice. On HaulageBoard it can go against the job itself, so the note, the proof of delivery and what was said about the load all sit in the same place two years later.
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Written by the HaulageBoard team. Last updated 29 August 2026.