Keep Defra's waste tracking reference on every load you report
When a batch of received loads goes into Defra's receipt of waste service, what comes back is a reference, and that reference is what shows a load is in Defra's system. Skiplog is built to keep that reference on the receipt record itself, with the date and time it was recorded, so a load reported in March can still be shown with its reference in October.
The reference arrives after the upload, and then goes missing
If you are looking for somewhere to keep a Defra waste tracking reference, you are standing at the far end of an upload. The spreadsheet of received loads has gone into Defra's receipt of waste service, the service has answered, and now there is a reference against the loads it took. That reference is the thing that proves a load is in Defra's system. It is also the thing most likely to end up on a printout in the office drawer, or in an email nobody can put their hands on six months later.
What usually happens next is a second list. The register of transfer notes lives in one place, and the record of what has been reported, and under which reference, lives in another: a spreadsheet tab, a notebook, a folder of download confirmations. The two lists drift. A load gets sent twice because nobody is certain it went, or a load sits unreported because a line was ticked in the wrong column. Then a question arrives about one load, on one day, and answering it means cross-checking an afternoon's worth of paper against the register.
Skiplog is built so there is one list. The reference sits on the load it was issued for, beside the weight, the EWC code, the carrier and the date the waste came in.
How the reference gets onto the load
- Export the receipt rows
The receipts screen sits next to the quarterly return. You pick the dates, and Skiplog writes the rows in the column order Defra's template expects, so the tickets are not typed in twice.
- Upload the spreadsheet yourself
The file goes from your yard into Defra's receipt of waste service. Skiplog does not submit on your behalf and does not assume the upload happened.
- Confirm the batch went in
After the download, Skiplog asks whether you have uploaded these to Defra. On confirm, every note included is stamped as reported, and the batch keeps its dates, its note count and the person who confirmed it or undid it.
- Record the reference against the load
Each receipt record has a place for Defra's waste tracking reference and for the moment the reference was recorded. Until you have the reference, that place stays empty, so nothing on the register looks accepted when it is only uploaded.
- Leave it where it is
The reference and the date it was recorded stay on the note while the account is open, because waste records have to span quarters and inspections. A lapsed trial does not lock the records away: they stay readable and exportable.
What a reported receipt carries
| Held on the record | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| The reported mark | Set when you confirm the batch was uploaded, so the load drops off the list of loads still waiting to go to Defra. |
| Defra's waste tracking reference | The reference the load is held under in Defra's system. Empty until you record it, so it is never implied. |
| The date and time the reference was recorded | Shows how soon after the upload the reference was captured, which is the part a question months later turns on. |
| The batch it travelled in | Its dates, how many notes went in it, and who confirmed or undid the confirmation. |
| A rejection's date and reason | Kept from the rejection notice, because the date of the notice is what sets the correction deadline. |
What that buys the yard
One record per load, not two lists
The reference lives on the same note as the waste type, the EWC code, the weight, the carrier and the destination. There is no second spreadsheet to keep in step with the first.
Uploaded and accepted stay separate
Confirming a batch records that the spreadsheet left your yard. The reference records that Defra holds the load. Skiplog keeps those two facts apart rather than collapsing them into one tick.
A batch that says who confirmed it
Each receipts batch keeps its dates, its note count and the person who confirmed it, so a yard where the weighbridge and the office both sign in can see who said the upload went.
An answer to a question asked months later
Pull up the load and the reference it was accepted under is on it, with the date it was recorded. Nothing has to be reconstructed from download confirmations.
What this does not do
Skiplog is built to help your yard meet the reporting requirements. It does not report for you, and it cannot promise a compliance outcome: the rows are only as accurate as the weighbridge tickets they came from, and Defra can change its template and its rules.
The reference is a typed fact, not something Skiplog goes and fetches. The product's only outside service is Stripe for card payments, so the reference is put in by the person who did the upload and holds the confirmation. That is deliberate. A record that claims a reference it was never given is worse than no record at all.
Receipt rows ready for Defra's spreadsheet are part of both plans, Annual at £1,188 a year and Monthly at £129 a month, each with a 60 day free trial. Reporting receipts of waste started in October 2026, and Skiplog is pre-launch: this page describes what it is built to do, not results from other yards.
Questions
What is the Defra waste tracking reference?
It is the reference a reported load is held under in Defra's receipt of waste service. Skiplog is built to keep a place for it on the receipt record, along with the date and time you recorded it, so the proof sits with the load rather than in an email.
Does Skiplog submit to Defra for me?
No. Skiplog writes the receipt rows in the column order Defra's template expects and your yard uploads the spreadsheet. After the download it asks whether you have uploaded them, and on confirm it stamps the notes in that batch as reported.
What happens if a load has not come back with a reference yet?
The reference field stays empty. The reported mark and the reference are separate, so a batch can show as uploaded while the loads in it are still waiting for their references, and nothing on the register overstates where the load has got to.
Can I see which loads I have not reported yet?
Yes. Skiplog is built to show the loads not yet reported on the dashboard, grouped by how close they are to the deadline, so the list does not have to be kept separately.
What if Defra rejects a load?
The date and reason from the rejection notice are kept against the receipt, because the date on the notice is what sets the correction deadline. Corrections to a note Defra had already accepted are kept too, with the reference the load went in under and the old and new value of what changed.
How long is the reference kept?
Everything is kept while the account is open, because waste records have to span quarters and inspections. A note you remove comes off your register and returns but stays on file for the two years the regulations require. Deleting the account removes it all at once.
Does holding the reference make my yard compliant?
No software can promise that. Skiplog is built to help you meet the requirements by capturing the load once, writing the rows in Defra's order and keeping what came back. Whether a submission stands depends on your own data and on Defra's rules, which sit outside the product.