The 2013 RWM in partnership with CIWM conference in Birmingham this week saw a preview of the soon- to-be-released ‘edoc’ waste transfer recording service.

The project, developed by the Environment Agency (EA) in association with the waste trade industry and government bodies and set to be released in January 2014, will allow waste transfer notes (WTNs) to be completed electronically rather than by hand, a move which is hoped will save ‘time, effort and money’.

At the preview event at the RWM 2013 conference, edoc’s developers explained how the system will work and the benefits it is expected to bring, as well as inviting a number of business representatives to explain why they will be using the service upon its launch next year.

Speaking at the conference, Mat Crocker, Head of Illegals and Waste at the EA, said: “Around 23 million new WTNs are produced every year and have to be stored for two years, adding up to a huge amount of wasted paper, not to mention the administrative headache they can cause in terms of filing, storage and retrieval.

“We have been extremely encouraged by the response to today’s event. There is clearly an appetite for a new, easier and more effective way to record waste transfers and we are keen to capitalise on the interest that is out there.”

An EA survey in June 2013 claimed that 72 per cent of large or medium-sized waste operators polled were in favour of switching to the new system.

Speaking at the time, Barry Dennis, Director General of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), spoke in favour of the project, saying: “The new edoc system is set to have a huge impact in the waste industry. It overhauls the current paper-based system and transfers it online which will make the process more efficient and effective.”

Key features

The edoc system is set to include a number of key features, including:

• the ability to create and share WTNs;
• allowing users to review, edit and sign WTNs electronically;
• sending email notifications when a new WTN is produced or when changes are made to an existing WTN;
• allowing users to create a permanent log of all actions performed on a WTN, when and by whom;
• a simple tracking feature;
• allowing users to enter more details than required by duty of care regulations, creating a ‘more complete and accurate picture’ of waste produced in the UK.

Steve Lee, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM), said: We support the production of edoc because we are confident that it will allow businesses across the UK to carry out a wide range of tasks which will help to modernise and streamline waste transfer recordings in the future.

In fact it is thought that edoc could replace the need for costly business waste surveys, saving governments around £1 million per annum. We welcome the change and look forward to its launch in January 2014.”

The service is being developed as part of a four-year project by the European Commission (LIFE+) and the EA in partnership with CIWM, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), waste management firm Reconomy, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Welsh Government. Its supporters include the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.

Read more about edoc.