When Defra's service is down: what you must do

An outage doesn't stop the clock on recording a load. You tell the regulator unless Defra have already said the service is down, keep a written record within the usual two working days, and enter it once the service is back.

Tell: The Environment Agency (Natural Resources Wales in Wales) as soon as reasonably practicable, unless you've had Defra's own outage notice.
Record: A written record of each load within the usual two working days. It can be electronic if it can be easily found and retrieved.
Catch up: Enter it within 7 days, starting the day after the outage is resolved.
Keep: Hold the record until it's entered, and show the regulator if they ask.

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What counts as an outage

Something beyond your control that stops you entering a load by its deadline Reg 6(4). GOV.UK give building damage and a network failure as examples GOV.UK. Defra's own service being unavailable counts too. It doesn't happen often, but it has: in the first week of October 2026, software providers reported timeouts from Defra's API in a public thread Defra GitHub #309.

It isn't an outage if a load can't go because the organisation hasn't paid Defra's £26, or hasn't fixed an error Defra flagged Reg 4(6).

The three steps

Tell the regulator as soon as reasonably practicable, unless you've had an outage notification: Defra telling users the system is unavailable.
Write it down by the normal deadline, with everything the load's record would hold. An electronic record is allowed if you can save it so it's easy to find and retrieve.
Enter it within 7 days beginning with the day after the outage is resolved Reg 6(2). GOV.UK's page says 7 working days. The regulation says 7 days, so working to the shorter is the safe reading.

Wales has the same rule, with Natural Resources Wales as the regulator WSI 2026/105 reg 6. Keep the record until the load is in, and hand it over if the regulator asks.

With software

In Byrne Waste Tracking, a load you save keeps its full details and the date it arrived, and it goes to Defra by itself once Defra answer again. If a load is due and still not going, the Export screen builds Defra's spreadsheet for you to upload. You still tell the regulator yourself when step 1 applies. £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.

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Straight answers

Questions people ask

What do I do if Defra's waste tracking service is down?

Tell the Environment Agency, or Natural Resources Wales, unless Defra have already notified users it is down. Make a written record of each load within the usual two working days, then enter it within 7 days of the outage ending.

Do I have to tell the Environment Agency about a Defra outage?

Only if you haven't had an outage notification. If Defra have told users the system is unavailable, regulation 6 doesn't ask you to notify.

Can the written record be on a computer?

Yes. Regulation 6 allows an electronic record if you can save it so it can be easily found and retrieved.

How long do I have to enter loads after an outage?

Regulation 6 says within 7 days beginning with the day after the outage is resolved. GOV.UK's page says 7 working days, so working to the shorter is the safe reading.

Is my own internet going down an outage?

It can be, if it was beyond your control and stopped you meeting the deadline. GOV.UK give a network failure as an example. Not paying Defra's £26 isn't one.

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