When Defra’s Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) service rejects a submission, it is almost always because one field is missing, in the wrong format, or doesn’t match the rest of the record. The good news: the same handful of problems cause most rejections, and each one has a straightforward fix. This guide covers the reasons we see most often across the sites submitting through WasteBolt, and how to clear them.
Remember the clock: receiving sites generally need each load on the system by the end of the second working day after it arrives, so it is worth fixing rejections the same day you see them.
Three different things that look like a “rejection”
Not every failed submission is the same kind of problem:
- Stopped before it was sent. Good software checks each record against Defra’s rules first and holds back anything that would fail. In WasteBolt these show as Errors on the Digital Waste Tracking page. Nothing has gone to Defra yet — fix the field and submit.
- Rejected by Defra. The record reached Defra’s service and failed its validation. Defra returns a message naming the field, for example
WASTE Items › 0 › POPS › components: is required when containsPops is true. Fix the record and resubmit. - Defra didn’t answer. Occasionally the service is busy or times out. That isn’t a problem with your record. WasteBolt keeps it pending and retries automatically.
The most common reasons, at a glance
| Problem | Why Defra rejects it | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving site uses an exemption number | Phase 1 only accepts a permit number for the receiving site | Use the site’s environmental permit number |
| No postcode on an address | An address without a postcode isn’t accepted | Add the postcode for every party |
| Vehicle registration with the wrong transport type | A vehicle registration is only valid when transport is Road | Set means of transport to Road, or remove the registration |
| EWC code in the wrong format | Codes must be six digits, e.g. 17 05 04 |
Correct the code; check it against the EWC list |
| Hazardous EWC code on a non-hazardous note | A hazardous code needs a consignment code or a reason for not having one | Add the consignment note code, or choose the reason |
| Consignment code format not recognised | The format differs by nation | Use the right format for where the waste was consigned |
| Hazardous or POPs component without a concentration | Concentrations must be a positive number | Add the concentration, or change the source of components |
| Weight missing or zero | Every waste item needs a weight above zero | Enter the net weight |
| Missing receiver email or address | Part C needs full contact details | Complete the receiver’s details once in your pick list |
The problems in more detail
“DWT only accepts a permit number for the receiving site”
If your receiving site operates under a waste exemption (exemption numbers in England start WEX), Defra’s phase 1 service won’t accept it as the site’s authorisation. Phase 1 covers permitted sites, and exemptions are due to be brought in at a later phase. If your site holds a permit, make sure that permit number — not an exemption — is set as the receiver’s authorisation.
Missing postcodes
Since October 2026, Defra rejects an address that has no postcode. This catches out producers’ addresses in particular, where a collection point might have been entered as just a site name. Add a postcode for the producer, carrier and receiver.
Vehicle registration and means of transport
A vehicle registration is only valid when the waste moved by Road. If the means of transport is set to anything else (or left blank), a registration in the record causes a rejection. For road movements, the registration is required.
Hazardous EWC codes on a non-hazardous note
Codes marked with an asterisk (for example 16 06 01*, lead batteries) are hazardous. If one appears on a note marked non-hazardous — often an additional line, like batteries mixed in with scrap metal — Defra expects either a hazardous waste consignment note code or a reason why there isn’t one. Open the note and add whichever applies.
Consignment code formats
The consignment note code has to match the format used where the waste was consigned:
- England and Wales: e.g.
AB12CD/12345 - Scotland:
SA,SBorSCfollowed by seven digits - Northern Ireland:
DA,DBorDCfollowed by seven digits
Hazardous components and POPs concentrations
This is the one that causes the most head-scratching. If you list hazardous chemical components or persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on a load, each one needs a concentration above zero (in mg/kg). And if the record says the waste contains POPs, Defra expects at least one POPs component.
What if you genuinely don’t know the concentration — a mixed load of aerosols from several producers, for example? There is no “reason unknown” field in Defra’s service. Instead, look at the source of components:
- Not provided — you have no component data. Leave the components list empty. Defra accepts this.
- Guidance or Own testing — you’re saying you have the data, so Defra expects components with concentrations.
If the guidance gives only a minimum figure, enter it with the greater than (>) option. Don’t enter an estimate you can’t stand behind.
Missing receiver details
Defra needs the receiving site’s email address, address and postcode on every record. Set them once on the receiver’s pick list entry and every future note picks them up automatically.
Fixing a record that was already submitted
Spotted a mistake after a record went through? You can still correct it. In WasteBolt, editing a submitted record flags it as Edited — Resubmit. Resubmitting sends the corrected data against the original Defra reference, so it updates the existing record rather than creating a duplicate.
Fix corrections promptly. In Scotland, for example, the regulations require corrections within one month.
Stopping rejections before they happen
Most rejections come from details that should only need entering once:
- Your own details: add your carrier registration number and environmental permit number to your business profile.
- Your regular receivers: add each one’s permit number, email address, address and postcode to your pick lists.
- Your waste streams: give every waste type the right six-digit EWC code, and mark hazardous codes correctly. If data comes from a weighbridge, an import template can fill these in automatically.
- Your Defra API code: make sure every receiving site has its own API code entered, or nothing can be submitted for it.
Do this once and the large majority of records go straight through with nothing to fix.
Where to go from here
- The DWT submission guide walks through the full process.
- Common fixes in WasteBolt shows where each field lives in the app.
- The required-information checklist lists every field Defra expects.
- Filling weighbridge data gaps covers missing EWC codes on import.
- What data to submit for Digital Waste Tracking explains each field in plain English.
Short on time to chase every rejection yourself? Our Done For You service checks and submits your records for you.