Hazardous waste consignment note
A hazardous waste consignment note is the paperwork that has to travel with a load of hazardous waste from the place it was produced to the site that receives it. It is a different document from a waste transfer note, and a skip carrying asbestos, paint, oil or contaminated soil needs the consignment note, not the transfer note.
What a hazardous waste consignment note is
A hazardous waste consignment note is the record that must accompany a movement of hazardous waste in England and Wales, describing the waste, naming the producer, the carrier and the receiving site, and carrying a signature from each of them. It exists because hazardous waste is tracked movement by movement rather than in a general duty of care record, so the regulator can follow a specific load from a yard gate to the place that treated or disposed of it.
The practical test for an operator is the waste classification. Entries in the List of Waste that are hazardous carry an asterisk after the six digit code, and if the code on your ticket has that asterisk the load moves on a consignment note. No asterisk, and you are in waste transfer note territory instead.
An example from the yard
A builder rings for an exchange and says there is bonded asbestos sheet in the skip, separated and wrapped. That load is not a general mixed skip. Before the lorry leaves, the waste needs a consignment note with the asterisked code for the asbestos, the quantity, the container type and the hazard properties written on it, a unique consignment note code, and the receiving site named as a permitted facility that accepts that waste. The driver signs the carrier's part on collection, your copy stays in the office, and the receiving site completes its part and confirms what it accepted or rejected. If the same builder also has a skip of clean muck away, that one travels on an ordinary transfer note on the same day.
The parts of a standard consignment note
| Part | Who completes it | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Part A | Producer or holder | Notification details: the unique consignment note code, the premises the waste came from, the carrier, and the receiving site. |
| Part B | Producer or holder | Description of the waste: List of Waste code, quantity, container, physical form, hazardous properties and chemical or biological components. |
| Part C | Carrier | Carrier's certificate: registration details, vehicle registration, and the date and time the waste was collected. |
| Part D | Producer or holder | Consignor's declaration that the description is accurate and the waste is packaged and labelled correctly. |
| Part E | Consignee | Receiving site's certificate: what was accepted or rejected, the quantity, and the waste operation carried out. |
Why the note matters after the lorry has gone
The note is not finished when the skip is tipped. The producer keeps their copy at the premises for at least three years, and a permitted site keeps its consignee copies for at least three years as well, which is why consignment notes end up in the same lever arch files as transfer notes and weighbridge tickets.
A receiving site has a second job on top of filing. Consignees report the hazardous waste they took in, quarter by quarter, to the Environment Agency, and those returns are built from the Part E entries. That is the point where a missing note or a wrong code stops being a filing problem and starts being a reporting problem, because the return can only say what the notes say.
The digital waste tracking mandate DEFRA has set for October 2026 moves this whole family of records, transfer notes and consignment notes alike, into a digital service. The underlying duty does not change. The same facts about the same load still have to be captured at the gate, by someone with a tablet and a bit of weather, and then have to reconcile with what is reported later.
Related terms
- Waste transfer note (WTN). The duty of care record for non hazardous waste. Same idea, fewer fields, no hazard properties, and no consignee return behind it. See the sibling page on swapping the duplicate book for a digital transfer note record.
- List of Waste code (EWC code). The six digit classification for the waste. An asterisk on the entry means hazardous, which is the trigger for a consignment note.
- Consignment note code. The unique reference written on every copy of one note, made up of an identifier for the producer's premises followed by a serial number, so a single movement can be matched across producer, carrier and consignee records.
- Consignee returns. The quarterly report a permitted site sends the Environment Agency covering the hazardous waste it received.
- Season ticket. One transfer note covering repeat collections of the same non hazardous waste for up to a year. It is a transfer note arrangement, so it does not cover hazardous movements, which are noted individually apart from limited collection round arrangements.
- Duty of care. The general obligation on everyone who produces, carries or receives waste to describe it accurately and pass it only to someone authorised to take it.
- Environmental permit. The authorisation a receiving site holds, which sets out the waste types it may accept. A consignment note that names a site not permitted for that waste is a problem before the lorry arrives.
Questions
Is a consignment note the same as a waste transfer note?
No. A waste transfer note is the duty of care record for non hazardous waste. A hazardous consignment note covers a single movement of hazardous waste, carries the hazard properties and components of the waste, and is signed by the producer, the carrier and the receiving site.
How do I know if a skip needs a consignment note?
Classify the waste first. If the List of Waste code that fits it carries an asterisk, the waste is hazardous and the movement needs a consignment note. Asbestos, oils, solvents, paint, batteries and some contaminated soils are the ones that come up most often in a skip yard.
Who signs a hazardous waste consignment note?
Three parties. The producer or holder signs the consignor's declaration, the carrier signs the carrier's certificate when the waste is collected, and the receiving site signs the consignee's certificate to confirm what it accepted or rejected.
How long do I have to keep consignment notes?
Producers keep their copy at the premises for at least three years, and a site that receives hazardous waste keeps its consignee copies for at least three years.
Does digital waste tracking get rid of consignment notes?
It changes how the record is made and submitted, not whether the record exists. The mandate DEFRA has set for October 2026 moves waste movement records into a digital service, and the same facts about each hazardous load still have to be captured and reported.
Can one consignment note cover a run of repeat collections?
Not in the way a season ticket covers repeat non hazardous transfers. Hazardous movements are noted individually, apart from limited arrangements for collection rounds, so plan on a note per load unless the guidance for your situation says otherwise.
Does Skiplog produce consignment notes?
No. Skiplog creates digital waste transfer notes with the EA mandated fields on a phone or tablet. Hazardous consignment notes stay with your existing note book or the hazardous waste service.