Blog
Guidance for people running waste operations
Practical writing on duty of care, carrier licensing and Digital Waste Tracking, from the team building WasteOptix.
Digital Waste Tracking: a practical checklist for receiving sites ahead of October 2026
Receiving sites are first in scope for mandatory Digital Waste Tracking, which means the practical burden of getting ready lands earliest on the businesses least likely to have been thinking about it as "their" deadline.
The KPIs a waste operations manager should actually track
The most useful numbers tend to be the ones that predict a problem before it happens — an upcoming renewal, a vehicle due a check — not the ones that only confirm it after the fact.
Quarterly hazardous waste returns: who actually needs to submit them, and when
Consignment notes get most of the attention in hazardous waste compliance — the quarterly return requirement that sits alongside them is easier to overlook, and just as much a legal obligation.
How to actually classify waste with EWC codes, without just guessing
The European Waste Catalogue code on a transfer note is often filled in the same way every time, regardless of what's actually in the load — which defeats most of the point of having it.
Environmental permits vs waste carrier registration: what's the difference, and do you need both?
Carrier registration authorises you to move waste. An environmental permit authorises you to do something to it once it's stationary — treat it, store it, dispose of it — and conflating the two is a common, costly mistake.