The implementation of digital waste tracking is to be delayed until April 2026 due to the ‘complexities of the project’, according to the Government.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed the deferral yesterday.
In a letter to stakeholders, senior officials said that in recent months industry stakeholders had provided feedback indicating the original timeline to introduce digital waste tracking service by April 2025 presented ‘significant challenges.’
‘Having listened to this feedback and also through the interrogation of our plans, we have made the difficult decision to defer the previously stated implementation date,’ the letter read.
Commenting on the decision, a Defra spokesperson said: ‘Due to the complexities of the project, more time is needed to ensure the service is fit for purpose and to give businesses time to prepare.’
The chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), Cathy Cook said: ‘Whilst it’s disappointing that another key policy deadline hasn’t been met, this is preferable to a rushed introduction of a complex system.’
