The future of waste transfer recording is here

Today (Wednesday 29 January 2014) sees the eagerly anticipated launch of edoc, the innovative new online system which is set to revolutionise waste transfer recording across the UK.
Live from today at www.edoconline.co.uk, edoc has already attracted advance interest from hundreds of businesses, all eager to see how online recording of waste transfers can save them time and money.
Several of the large waste management businesses and representatives from Morgan Sindall, BPI, The British Council, Eco-Oil, Elite Furniture Ltd and Premier Print and Promotions Ltd are among those looking at how they could benefit from switching to edoc.  Now the project partners are urging every UK business that produces or handles business waste to adopt the online option.
Edoc also comes at a time when the government is focused on to improving outdated, burdensome or over-complicated regulations.  In a set of major announcements on Red Tape Challenge outcomes headed by Prime Minister David Cameron this week, Ministers have highlighted edoc’s potential to replace 23 million of paper waste transfer notes a year.
Developed by the Environment Agency in partnership with the waste sector and government bodies from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, edoc (short for electronic duty of care) provides a modern and efficient alternative to completing and keeping paper waste transfer notes (WTNs).
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, that’s potentially 50 million pieces of paper in storage somewhere across the country at any one time.   We’re really encouraged by the response we’ve had to edoc so far.  It’s not a mandatory system, but the level of interest shows that businesses want to use it.  We believe edoc will become the default option for most companies, and has the potential to move 80% of waste transfer records online over time.”
Edoc will allow businesses to carry out a wide range of tasks.  Key features 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, and
use a simple tracking feature for transfers involving more than one movement.

With edoc, it will be quick and easy to search and retrieve WTNs for audit or compliance purposes, and businesses will be able to search and filter their records to create valuable data and reports to support business needs.
Data from edoc will also help fill a major knowledge gap by providing national governments with high quality, real-time data on C and I arisings, and the potential to save c£1m per annum currently spent on business waste surveys.
Users can access edoc in two main ways, via the web portal or through an Application Software Interface (API), which allows a business to transfer relevant information from an existing electronic recording system directly into edoc without duplicating effort.
Businesses interested in using edoc can find out more now at www.edoconline.co.uk