The Digital Waste Tracking (Wales) Regulations 2026 / Rheoliadau Tracio Gwastraff yn Ddigidol (Cymru) 2026

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

These Regulations, which apply in Wales, establish a digital waste tracking system. They are made under powers conferred by section 34CA and 34CB of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (c. 43) (“ the 1990 Act ”). The 1990 Act allows the Welsh Ministers to establish, in Wales, a digital waste tracking system, the purpose of which is to track controlled waste.

Controlled waste is household, industrial or commercial waste and has the meaning given in section 75(4) to (8) of the 1990 Act.

Part 2 and Schedule 1 contain provisions relating to the establishment of the digital waste tracking system in Wales and requirements for operators of a permitted facility to enter information into the digital waste tracking system and to pay an annual fee. That Part also makes provision for outages (when information cannot be entered into the digital waste tracking system).

Part 3 contains provisions relating to digitally excluded persons, including alternative requirements for recording information that would otherwise be entered into the digital waste tracking system.

Part 4 contains provision about the functions of Natural Resources Wales.

Part 5 and Schedule 2 contain provisions relating to offences and civil sanctions.

Part 6 contains provisions relating to appeals.

Part 7 contains supplementary provisions including Natural Resources Wales’ access to the digital waste tracking system and who information held under these Regulations may be shared with.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from the Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ and is published on www.gov.wales .