Posted: 04/06/2026

Environment Agency update on EU’s Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS)

Following from a recent update regarding the EU’s Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS) and its use of waste movements involving England, the Environmental Agency (EA) has provided an update.

The EA is currently not available for selection as a competent authority within DIWASS, meaning new notifications involving England cannot be created on the system at present. This has been raised with the European Commission, and it is expected to be resolved shortly.

Important clarifications are:

There is no mandatory requirement for operators in England to use DIWASS.
Even once available on the system, the EA has confirmed it will not be using DIWASS and will not receive any information submitted through it.

Businesses should continue using existing processes. For exports from England, organisations should continue to use IWS Online and submit notification packs to the EA. For imports into England, notifications must still be sent by the EU competent authority, not directly by the notifier.

If operators choose to use DIWASS voluntarily, they must register via an EU competent authority (not the EA). The EU authority will manage DIWASS entries and actions on behalf of England based operators.

The following EC guidance may help with the DIWASS registration process:

Additional points are:

Notifications involving England will still be handled outside DIWASS, with EU authorities responsible for uploading information into the system where required.
Operators should ensure compliance with EU requirements where waste transits through the EU and seek guidance directly from the relevant EU authorities.

The EA further recommends that operators regularly check the EU commission website for new and updated information.

Any questions about the implications of the new EU Waste Shipment Regulations should be sent to EUWSR@environment-agency.gov.uk.