Not sure what a finished waste transfer note should look like? This page shows you a fully completed WTN example — every field, all five sections — so you can see exactly what's required before filling in your own.
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A Waste Transfer Note (WTN) is a legal document required under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 every time non-hazardous commercial or industrial waste changes hands in the UK. It creates a documented chain of custody, proving the waste was passed to an authorised carrier and disposed of at a permitted facility.
Both the waste holder (producer) and the receiving party must sign the note, and both must retain copies for a minimum of two years. Failure to produce a valid WTN on request can result in a fixed penalty notice or prosecution.
The example below shows a fully completed waste transfer note for a construction site clearance. The details are fictional but realistic — the format, fields, and wording match what the Environment Agency expects to see.
Use it as a reference when filling in your own, or skip straight to our free template to generate a completed WTN for your own transfer.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011.
Reference: WB-2026-00412
Company Name
Greenside Construction Ltd
Address
14 Birchwood Road, Coventry, CV3 2PL
SIC Code
41201 — Construction of commercial buildings
Permit / Exemption Number
EPR/AB3456CD
Contact Name
James Hartley
Contact Phone
024 7654 3210
Carrier Company Name
County Waste Carriers Ltd
Address
Unit 7, Longford Industrial Estate, Coventry, CV6 6BH
Carrier Registration Number
CBDU123456
Vehicle Registration
CV21 WBC
Driver Name
Sandra Okafor
Contact Phone
024 7601 9988
Site Name
Oakdale Recycling Centre
Address
Oakdale Lane, Binley, Coventry, CV3 1JA
Environmental Permit Number
EPR/ZP3788NR
Operator Name
Midlands Resource Recovery Ltd
Waste Description
Mixed construction and demolition waste — bricks, concrete, timber offcuts
EWC Code
17 09 04 — Mixed construction and demolition wastes
Waste Type
Non-hazardous controlled waste
Quantity
3.2 tonnes (estimated)
Containment
Open skip — 8 yard
Physical Form
Solid (mixed materials)
Transfer Date
3 April 2026
Transfer Location
14 Birchwood Road, Coventry, CV3 2PL (site of origin)
Reason for Transfer
End of site clearance — materials for recycling
Special Instructions
None
I confirm that I have fulfilled my duty to apply the Waste Hierarchy as a priority order as required by The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011.
Paper WTN: all three parties must sign with wet ink and retain copies for at least 2 years. Use WasteBolt for legally valid e-signatures — no printing required.
Waste Holder
Waste Carrier
Waste Receiver
Part A records the business or person handing over the waste — the waste producer. This is usually the site generating the waste, not the carrier collecting it.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Company name | Full registered business name |
| Address | Full address of the site generating the waste |
| SIC code | 5-digit Standard Industrial Classification code for your business activity |
| Permit / exemption number | Your environmental permit number, or waste exemption reference if applicable |
| Contact name & phone | The person responsible for the transfer on the day |
Part B identifies who is physically moving the waste. All carriers of controlled waste in the UK must be registered with the Environment Agency (England), SEPA (Scotland), NRW (Wales), or NIEA (Northern Ireland).
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Carrier company name | Full name of the waste carrier business |
| Address | Registered business address of the carrier |
| Carrier registration number | CBDU or equivalent number — verify at the public register before accepting |
| Vehicle registration | Registration plate of the vehicle collecting the waste |
| Driver name | Name of the driver on the day of collection |
Part C records where the waste is going — the permitted facility that will receive, treat, or dispose of it. This is usually a licensed waste transfer station, recycling centre, or landfill site.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Site name | Name of the receiving facility |
| Address | Full address of the disposal or transfer site |
| Environmental permit number | The site's EA / SEPA / NRW / NIEA permit reference |
| Operator name | Company operating the facility |
Part D is the most scrutinised section on any WTN. Vague descriptions such as "general waste" or "rubbish" are a common reason notes are rejected or flagged by inspectors. Be specific.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Waste description | Specific description of the materials — e.g. "mixed concrete, bricks, and timber offcuts from demolition" |
| EWC code | 6-digit European Waste Catalogue code — e.g. 17 09 04 for mixed C&D waste |
| Waste type | Non-hazardous controlled waste / inert waste (as appropriate) |
| Quantity | Estimated weight in tonnes, or volume if weight is not measurable |
| Containment | How the waste is contained — skip, bags, bulk tanker, etc. |
| Physical form | Solid, liquid, sludge, powder, etc. |
Part E confirms when the transfer took place and that the waste hierarchy was considered. The waste hierarchy requires businesses to prioritise prevention, then reuse, then recycling — ahead of recovery and disposal as a last resort.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Transfer date | Exact date the waste was collected or handed over |
| Transfer location | Address where the handover physically took place |
| Reason for transfer | Brief explanation — e.g. "end of site operations, materials for recycling" |
| Waste hierarchy confirmation | Tick / sign to confirm you have considered and applied the waste hierarchy |
There is no single official government template — the law sets out what must be recorded, not the exact format. Any document that covers all five sections and is signed by both parties is legally valid.
WasteBolt's free generator walks you through every field, validates your inputs as you go, and produces a print-ready PDF that meets EA, NIEA, NRW, and SEPA requirements. It takes around two minutes to complete.
Free Waste Transfer Note Template
Fill in online → download compliant PDF → print and sign. No account needed.
| Region | Minimum retention period | Who must retain |
|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | 2 years | Producer and receiver |
| Scotland | 3 years | Producer and receiver |
| Northern Ireland | 2 years | Producer and receiver |
Digital waste transfer notes are fully legal under UK law. From October 2026, the mandatory Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) system will require waste movements to be recorded digitally — making paper-based workflows increasingly impractical.
| Paper WTN | Digital WTN (WasteBolt) | |
|---|---|---|
| Legally valid | ✅ | ✅ |
| E-signatures | ❌ Wet ink only | ✅ All three parties |
| Storage | Physical filing | Cloud — accessible anywhere |
| Audit trail | Manual | Automatic |
| DWT 2026 ready | ❌ | ✅ |
| Cost | Printing + postage + filing time | From £29/month |
Move to digital before October 2026
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There is no single government-issued template — the law specifies what information must be recorded, not the exact format. Any document covering all five sections (Parts A–E) and signed by both parties is legally valid. WasteBolt's free generator produces a fully compliant WTN accepted by the EA, NIEA, NRW, and SEPA.
Yes. WasteBolt's free WTN generator lets you fill in all five sections online and download a completed, print-ready PDF at no cost. No account required.
See the example at the top of this page. A completed WTN shows the waste holder's details in Part A, the carrier's details in Part B, the transfer site in Part C, a full waste description with EWC code in Part D, and the transfer date with waste hierarchy confirmation in Part E.
A minimum of two years in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Three years in Scotland. Both the producer and the receiver must retain signed copies.
A standard WTN covers a single transfer. A Season Ticket covers multiple transfers of the same waste type between the same parties over a period of up to 12 months, removing the need to complete a new document for each collection.
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