Free tool
Check your Defra spreadsheet before you upload it
Pick the receipt of waste spreadsheet you've filled in (Defra's own template). Every load is checked
against the rules Defra's service uses, and you get a list of anything it would refuse, row by row, while you
still have time to put it right.
What it checks
- Every load has a reference, a date and time that isn't in the future, a site name, address, valid postcode and permit.
- The carrier's registration is in a format Defra accept, or there's one of Defra's reasons for having none.
- A vehicle registration for road loads, a consignment code or reason, and a waste item for every load.
- Each waste item: EWC code, description, physical form, a container type Defra recognise, a count, a weight and unit, and a recovery or disposal code with its weight.
- Hazardous and POPs waste carries the details Defra require.
It can't see Defra's own records, so it won't tell you about a load you've already uploaded. Paper notes carry on alongside, as Defra say.
The tabs it reads
Defra's template has a tab for each load and a tab for each waste on a load. The checker reads both:
- 7. Waste movement level, one row per load from row 9: your reference, the site's name, address,
postcode and permit, the date and time the load arrived, the consignment code or the reason there isn't one,
the carrier's details, the means of transport, the vehicle registration and any broker.
- 8. Waste item level, one row per waste from row 9: the load's reference, the EWC code, the
description, physical form, number and type of containers, the weight and its unit, whether it's an
estimate, POPs and hazardous details, and the recovery or disposal code.
It matches each waste to its load by your reference, so the reference must be typed the same on both tabs.
Mistakes it catches
- A load with no waste on the item tab, or a waste whose reference matches no load.
- A missing arrival date and time, or one in the future.
- A waste with no EWC code, description or weight, or a weight that isn't in grams, kilograms or tonnes.
- A container type that isn't one of Defra's 16. "Bulk" isn't one of them; loose waste is [LOO] Loose.
- A carrier registration in a format Defra don't accept, with none of Defra's reasons for having none.
- A road load with no vehicle registration.
- A recovery or disposal code without its weight.
Each one comes back with the row number from your spreadsheet, so you can go straight to it.
Every column on Defra's template, explained.
Questions
Is my spreadsheet uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser opens the file and checks it on your own computer. Nothing is uploaded, saved or sent
anywhere, and closing the page forgets it.
If every load passes, will Defra accept the file?
It runs the same rules Byrne Waste Tracking runs before a load is saved, but it can't see Defra's own
records, so it can't tell you about a load you've already uploaded. Treat a pass as nothing here that the
rules would refuse, then upload as normal.
Which spreadsheet does it work with?
Defra's own receipt of waste template, saved as .xlsx, with its "7. Waste movement level" and
"8. Waste item level" tabs. A PDF, a .csv copy or your own layout won't open, and Defra's service only
takes their template anyway.
What does "waste items with no matching load" mean?
A row on the item tab has a reference that isn't on the movement tab. Usually it's a typo or a
space in one of them. Make the two references match and check again.
Rather not fill in the spreadsheet at all? Byrne Waste Tracking fills in every load at the gate in a few
taps, checks it the same way, and sends it to Defra by itself. From £89 a site a month, all in, no contract.
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