Guides › EA waste returns
Running it · Your EA return
- For
- Permit holders
- Defra and EA
- Both still needed
- Checked
- 17 OCTOBER 2026
Your EA quarterly return and digital waste tracking
They're two separate duties. GOV.UK say you must keep sending waste returns under your permit as well as reporting every load to Defra, until further notice.
- Defra
- Every load you receive, within two working days.
- EA return
- What you received and removed in the quarter, sent in the month after it ends.
- Form
- The Environment Agency's own Excel form, version 17.0, by email.
- Byrne
- Doesn't file your EA return.
EA return deadlines
Miss 23:59 on the last day and you're in breach of your permit. A quarter with nothing in or out still needs a
return: the form makes a Nil return for you GOV.UK.
How the two differ
Hazardous waste consignee returns carry on too, with their charges. GOV.UK say the government and regulators
are working on plans to move from returns to the service's data, with no date given
GOV.UK.
Using one to help with the other
The loads you report to Defra are the raw material for the “waste received” side of your return,
as long as the codes match your permit. The “waste removed” side you still keep yourself.
Scotland: SEPA's returns are due on the 28th of the month after each quarter
SEPA. Wales: Natural Resources Wales run their own
returns.
Byrne Waste Tracking sends your loads to Defra and lets you download every load as a spreadsheet for your own
records. It doesn't file your EA return. £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
Does digital waste tracking replace my EA quarterly return?
No. GOV.UK say you must continue to submit waste returns in line with your environmental permit, as well as reporting each load to Defra.
When is the EA quarterly waste return due?
In the month after each quarter: 1 to 30 April, 1 to 31 July, 1 to 31 October and 1 to 31 January, by 23:59 on the last day.
Which form does the Environment Agency accept?
Only version 17.0 of the waste tonnage return form, filled in using Microsoft Excel and emailed to national-operator-returns@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Do I send a return if nothing came in?
Yes. You must submit a return for each period unless your permit has been fully surrendered. The form creates a Nil return when no tonnage is received or removed.
Do hazardous waste consignee returns carry on?
Yes. GOV.UK say you must continue to submit them, and the charges still apply.
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