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Digital Waste Tracking: API integration guidance

Status: draft outline, v1.0

Owner: Dave Oliver

Contents


1. Introduction

This document provides guidance for software providers building producer, broker, carrier/driver or receiver-facing systems that will interact with Defra's dedicated API to record waste movements.


2. Service overview

DWT events

2.1 Lifecycle stages

The API is organised around four stages:

Stage What happens
Creation Movement created; estimated details declared; Movement ID generated
Collection Carrier/driver records the collection against a Movement ID
Delivery Driver records delivery and declares the Movement ID in scope; Delivery ID generated
Receipt Receiving site records acceptance of the waste against the Delivery ID

2.2 Actors

  • Producer / Controller (EA term) – the organisation whose waste is being moved
  • Broker / Controller (EA term) – arranges the movement on behalf of a producer or receiver
  • Carrier / Transporter (EA term) – the organisation licensed to transport the waste; may operate through a Driver as the field-level user recording events in real time
  • Receiver – the site accepting the waste for treatment, disposal or recovery

2.3 Core identifiers

  • Waste Movement ID – movementId is the primary record of an intended waste movement, created before the waste moves
  • Waste Delivery ID – deliveryId is the record created at delivery; a single Delivery ID can bundle one or more Movement IDs together


3. API reference

You can see the current API spec at: Digital Waste Tracking OpenAPI specification.

The spec will update with each milestone in the development process – expect some shapes to shift before go-live.


4. Business rules and data reconciliation

4.1 Collection cardinality

One collection entry per physical collection event, even where loads are later combined at delivery.

4.2 Movement-to-delivery cardinality

Many Movement IDs can be linked to a single Delivery ID at delivery; a Delivery ID always originates from exactly one delivery event.


Appendix A: glossary

Term Meaning
DWT Digital Waste Tracking – the digital service this API supports
EA Environment Agency
EWC European Waste Catalogue – the code list used to classify waste type
HWCN Hazardous Waste Consignment Note – the paper record DWT replaces for hazardous waste
POPs Persistent organic pollutants – chemicals subject to additional handling and reporting rules
Waste Movement ID Identifier issued when a movement is created, before waste moves
Waste Delivery ID Identifier issued at delivery; can link multiple Movement IDs together
WTN Waste Transfer Note – the paper record DWT replaces for non-hazardous waste

Appendix B: endpoint quick reference

Method Path
POST /movements
POST /movements/{movementId}/collection
POST /deliveries
POST /deliveries/{deliveryId}/receipt