Guides › Signing in
Running it · Signing in to Defra
- For
- Anyone signing in to Defra
- Use
- Your organisation's sign-in
- Checked
- 17 OCTOBER 2026
Signing in to Defra's waste tracking service
You sign in from GOV.UK's Report receipt of waste page with your organisation's Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login. Never a personal one.
- Which account
- Your organisation's Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login. GOV.UK say never use a personal Government Gateway account.
- First time
- You create a Defra account inside the service. Every visit after that uses the same organisation sign-in.
- Stuck
- Defra's technical helpdesk: 03000 203 781, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
The first time
- Open GOV.UK's Report receipt of waste page and press Start now.
- Local authority? The service asks. Councils choose Yes, everyone else No.
- Choose Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login, and sign in with your organisation's details, or
create them.
- Set up the Defra account as a business or organisation.
- Several organisations? Pick the one you're reporting for.
Then get your API code for your software: the steps, with a tick list.
Problems sites hit, and the fix
- “You cannot continue on this service”. You've signed in with a personal account. Sign
out and use the organisation's.
- Halfway through and it's gone. Defra delete an unfinished account after 3 days, and the service
signs you out after 4 hours. Do it in one sitting.
- Someone at work already registered. Ask them to add you, rather than registering the organisation
again.
- Forgotten password. The sign-in page has a recovery link for Government Gateway and One Login.
Defra can't see your password.
- Two companies. Each organisation is registered separately and pays its own £26 a year. One
organisation's API code covers every site it runs GOV.UK.
What you sign in for
Getting your API code, paying Defra's £26 (the first is due by 31 January 2027), uploading Defra's
spreadsheet if you use it, and correcting a record Defra already have. With software linked, you don't sign in
to Defra for each load. Byrne Waste Tracking sends each load to Defra automatically once you've linked your Defra
account. £89 per site per month, no contract. Join before 1 November 2026 and nothing is due until 1 November; join from 1 November and you get 14 days free. Pricing in full.
Straight answers
Questions people ask
Where do I log in to Defra waste tracking?
From GOV.UK's Report receipt of waste page: press Start now and sign in with your organisation's Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login.
Can I use my personal Government Gateway account?
No. GOV.UK say you must use your organisation's account for this service, never a personal one.
I've forgotten my Defra waste tracking password. What now?
Use the recovery link on the Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login sign-in page. Defra's technical helpdesk is 03000 203 781 if you're still stuck.
Do I need a separate login for each site?
No. One organisation account covers all its sites, and one API code sends loads for every site that organisation runs.
Do I have to sign in to Defra every time a load comes in?
Not if your software is linked with your API code: it sends each load for you. You sign in for the code, the £26 charge, spreadsheet uploads and corrections.
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