All four UK administrations consisting of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and, in Northern Ireland, the Department of Environment now fully support the edoc (Electronic Duty of Care) system and are committed to maintaining it.
edoc is a new online system designed to help transform the way you record what happens to the waste you produce or handle. Free to use but not mandatory, edoc offers retailers a modern, quick and easy alternative to the exchange of paper waste transfer notes (WTNs).
The potential benefits businesses and government can receive from the edoc system include:
- streamlined reporting and improved data to assist in infrastructure planning and development of the waste management industry
- improved data gathering and quality – making it both faster and more accurate to capture important information including commercial, industrial and construction waste volumes, type, point of origin and fate
- improved access to information – to help business monitor and map the resource use through the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of their waste materials and to help encourage increased waste recycling and re-use
- Better control of waste – to limit the potential for illegal and inappropriate waste disposal such as fly-tipping and illegal exports.
UK Administrations comments on edoc
Defra – Resource Management Minister Dan Rogerson MP said:
“Edoc’s online system is a convenient alternative to completing and storing paper waste transfer notes, already helping over 2,000 businesses save time and money while complying with their legal duty of care.”
Dan Rogerson, Defra- “Edoc’s online system is a convenient alternative to completing and storing paper waste transfer notes, already helping over 2,000 businesses save time and money while complying with their legal duty of care”
“We are committed to supporting edoc for the foreseeable future and are encouraging businesses to go digital, through the edoc Technical Advisory Group and our work with the resource industry and CIWM.”
Scottish Government – Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment Richard Lochhead MSP said:
“Edoc can help reduce the administrative burdens on the waste industry, while simultaneously providing a rich source of data to support sound policy-making.
“As we increasingly look to secure and maintain the highest value use for our waste materials in a more circular economy, the Scottish Government is pleased to support and promote edoc alongside the other UK administrations.”
Welsh Government – Minister for Natural Resources Carl Sargeant AM said:
“We are committed to supporting edoc in Wales because of the benefits it offers users. Edoc makes it easy to store and search for records and for businesses to fulfil their legal duty of care for waste.”
Registered user comments on Edoc:
GPT Waste
Tony Baker from GPT was a member of the EDOC Project Business Advisory Group and took part in the system user testing prior to launch in Jan 2014. GPT are committed to making the switch over to the EDOC system. He comments:
“GPT already operate an electronic system for generating WTN’s so we see EDOC as an enhancement to our existing arrangements. Convenience, visibility and quick and easy retrieval of information are the main benefits for us.”
“Approximately 12,000 Waste Transfer Notes are generated per annum as a result of waste services organised by GPT Waste Management. We encourage all of our customers and suppliers to register with EDOC in order to ensure a streamlined, efficient and effective way of transferring duty of care information between all parties involved in the transaction. We expect to see a reduction in physical storage space, server storage space and costs associated with postage and administrative resource.
We utilise the system to upload our own electronically generated Season Ticket Waste Transfer Notes, thus, ensuring our Clients’ can easily and quickly access the statutory information required for their trade waste arrangements”.
Registration is Key
Knowing how to register your business is important in order to generate data and reports in such a way that will be of value to your business.
This is particularly the case if you want to see data for specific sites or divisions within your business, as well as for your organisation as a whole.
Watch this video which takes you through the registration process.
The ‘How to’ guide offers information on how to access edoc if you are a waste regulator such as the Environment Agency or a local authority.
Retailers interested in edoc can register or find out more at edoconline.co.uk
Reference:
