The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 (amended) places a requirement on all waste producers to remove the waste through an officially licensed waste carrier.
The waste carrier is legally obliged to produce a waste transfer note (WTN) to prove the waste has been collected by a licensed waste carrier and that the waste will be taken for disposal at a licensed site.
This document is used for the tracing of the waste to its end destination.
A WTN should be raised for each collection of waste. Some companies will issue an annual WTN covering all the wastes collected in a 12 month period, others will produce a WTN for each collection. In either case the WTN’s should be retained for a period of 2 years.
The WTN should contain the European Waste Code (EWC) for the specific waste stream being collected, the name and address of the waste producer (transferor) and name and address of collector / receiver of waste (transferee), date of collection, the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) for the premises, and a reference to the consideration of the hierarchy of waste requirements (Clause 12) confirming the hierarchy of waste disposal has been considered and implemented.
The note should also contain a description of the waste, containment method and volumes disposed, and any further transfers from the collecting company (if any).
Other information may also be present on the WTN such as site permit references, waste carrier registration numbers etc.
This document is a legal requirement and as such no waste should leave a site or be received without one being available.