Recommendation 7

The digital waste tracking system is still in development after four years despite its implementation being core to combatting waste crime. Recording waste movements digitally rather than on paper is an important initiative from the 2018 Waste and Resources Strategy. Defra and the Agency believe it will give them an improved understanding of waste movements and enable them to better identify misclassification and improper disposal of waste. Defra is creating a prototype in- house, with 1,600 users currently testing it. It is seeking an IT partner for the next stage of development and expects to roll out the system in 2024, following the passage of secondary legislation and piloting. We acknowledge that this project has ambitious aims: the current plans are to record 10 items of information at each movement, treatment or transfer of waste, and 200 million tonnes of waste are produced each year. Defra is confident it can successfully deliver this project based on its record of delivering the IT systems it put in place for leaving the EU. But progress to date is 8 Government actions to combat waste crime not commensurate with the need for digital tracking to underpin other actions in the Waste and Resources Strategy, and our recent experience of large-scale digital programmes across government does not give us the same confidence. Recommendation: Defra should write to the committee when the IT contract is let to confirm that it has happened and what the plan is for full implementation. Government actions to combat waste crime 9 1 Progress with the government’s strategy