The long-awaited Electronic Duty of Care (Edoc) tool the online system for recording waste transfer notes is available to businesses across the UK from today (January 29).
Developed by the Environment Agency in partnership with various waste sector bodies, the online portal www.edoconline.co.uk seeks to modernise the way waste movements are recorded.
Under UK law, all businesses have a Duty of Care to ensure they produce, store, transport and dispose of their waste without harming the environment. One of their responsibilities is to complete a transfer note every time waste is passed from one party to another and keep them for at least two years.
The previous paper-based system resulted in at least 23.5 million waste transfer notes (WTNs) being produced a year with around 50 million pieces of paper being stored at any one time something which many businesses have said they find burdensome.
The Edoc tool is intended to make it easier for businesses to comply with the Duty of Care, whilst also reducing the amount of paperwork that they will be required to store in order to meet the requirements of the regulations.
‘Were really encouraged by the response weve had to Edoc so far. Its not a mandatory system, but the level of interest shows that businesses want to use it.’
Chris Deed, Edoc programme manager at the Environment Agency
The Environment Agency estimates that Edoc has the potential to move 80% of waste transfer records online over time and will become the default option for most companies.
Chris Deed, Edoc programme manager at the Environment Agency, said: We estimate that UK businesses currently create some 23 million waste transfer notes every year. With the legal requirement to keep documentary evidence for at least two years, thats potentially 50 million pieces of paper in storage somewhere across the country at any one time. Were really encouraged by the response weve had to Edoc so far. Its not a mandatory system, but the level of interest shows that businesses want to use it.
Features
The online portal will enable businesses to search and retrieve WTNs for audit or compliance purposes as well as search and filter their records to create data reports.
Developers of Edoc also claim it will help provide the government with real-time data on commercial and industrial waste arisings, potentially saving around 1 million per year on business waste surveys.
Key features of Edoc which can be accessed via the web portal or through an Application Software Interface (API) include the ability to:
- create waste transfer notes and season tickets and share them between the parties involved
- review, edit, sign and store waste transfer notes securely online
- view a permanent log of all actions performed on a WTN, by whom, and when
- use a simple tracking feature for transfers involving more than one movement.
Support
Edoc has been developed under a four year project co-financed by the European Commission (LIFE+) and has the support of Defra and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
It has been led by the Environment Agency in partnership with: the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM); Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA); Reconomy; the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP); and the Welsh Government.
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Steve Lee, chief executive of CIWM, commented: As well as saving time and money on administration, Edoc has a far bigger and more important role to play in the long term. It will give businesses the ability to understand and interrogate their own waste data and identify opportunities to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste and cut disposal costs. These are benefits that will impact positively on the bottom line and improve competitiveness.
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