Transport certificates

A transport certificate (TC) is the document used to record the transport of a load of trackable waste from the consignor to the receiving facility. The waste movement covers pick-up, delivery to a receiving facility and its acceptance and processing, or rejection, of the waste, as well as any discrepancies in the operation.

A TC is based on a consignment authorisation (CA) because

• a CA is legally required before a waste movement can take place
• much of the information in a TC is recorded in the CA, so using the CA to create the TC enables this data to be entered automatically in the TC

The online waste tracking system (OWT) can record hazardous waste movements within NSW and in some cases when transporting waste from interstate to a facility in NSW.

See ‘About consignment authorisations’ and Tracking waste out of NSW or overseas.

A TC is created from a CA by the consignor, transporter or receiving facility nominated on the CA provided they have appropriate user account access. 

It is a requirement that a printed TC accompany the transport of all trackable waste. A TC must be specific to the individual waste load. It does not matter who prints the TC as long as it is available to accompany the waste during transport. The consignor, transporter and receiving facility must certify relevant parts of the paper TC as correct and sign it. The receiving facility should also retain the signed TC for 4 years from receipt of the waste.

If the OWT is not available, the required information can be written on a paper TC. There is no reason for a paper TC not to accompany waste during transport. See ‘When online waste tracking is not available’.

Search for and select the appropriate consignment authorisation (CA)

 On the ‘New TC’ screen, search for and select the CA that matches the specific movement of the waste from and to the appropriate consignor and receiving facility. Click on the ‘Create TC without existing CA’ option if there is no existing CA.

Enter data in at least one of these search fields

• CA number
• waste code
• consignor
• receiving facility
• CA status

If there are more than 40 records matching your search criteria, you will be asked to further refine your search by entering data in more search fields.

Select transporter

The transporter may already be listed in the CA in which case it will automatically be copied to your TC.

If you need to select a transporter, OWT displays all transporters in the system. Users can create their own custom lists of transporters they use regularly. Select a transporter from your ‘Custom list’ or the ‘Full list of transporters’. If you can’t find the transporter in the list, contact the EPA on hazardous.materials@epa.nsw.gov.au with relevant details. 

Edit draft TC

The receiving facility, producer premises and waste code are automatically copied from the CA to the draft TC, along with the transporter you have selected for the TC.

Key details cannot be changed on a TC or the CA pertaining to it. Such details include

To change this data, you will need to cancel the draft TC and create a new TC from a CA that contains the information you need.

Secondary details such as contact details can be changed on the TC. If these details have changed permanently, for example, a new contact person has been appointed, you or the EPA can change that data on the CA. It will appear on all new TCs created from that CA. Existing TCs will not change. Email the EPA to update this data across all active and future CAs.

You can add notes for transport drivers or others involved in the movement of the waste load to assist operations.

Click 'Create TC'

The transport certificate number (TC number) is the sequential number generated by the OWT. A TC must be numbered to be valid.

Once the TC is created, you can

• view and print it (and if you are an agent you can also print a separate list of pick-up premises) to send with your transporter
• email a copy of the TC to yourself for your records and to your other contacts
• update the TC with the pick-up details, if the waste load has already been picked up – see “Update a transport certificate”
• Update contact details, add or delete pick-up premises as an agent, or change the transporter.

 

TCs can be created in advance but waste must be picked up before the expiry date of the parent CA. Empty TCs will terminate when the CA expires or is terminated. A terminated TC cannot be further updated or 'un-terminated'. See “Terminate a transport certificate”.

Bulk create transport certificates

Select ’Existing CA‘ in the side menu.

• Enter the CA number under which you will be creating the TCs.
• Select the CA in the result list
• Select ’Create TC’
• Confirm all details and add notes if required.
• At the bottom of the draft TC, select ’Bulk Create TC’.
• Select the number of TCs to create (maximum 100).

The most TCs that can be open at one time with one CA is 100. Process or terminate TCs if you need to create more.

Use the ‘Existing TC’ option on the OWT side menu to search for a TC when you want to

• Update TC - record pick-up, arrival, acceptance or rejection, and processing, of the waste load
• View TC - display TC details on-screen, and Print TC - generate a printer-friendly version of the TC displayed, or  View discrepancy - display any discrepancies recorded for the TC
• Terminate TC - cancel the movement of the waste load

You must enter data in at least one of the search fields

• CA number
• waste code
• consignor
• receiving facility
• CA status

If there are more than 40 records matching your search criteria, you will be asked to refine your search by entering data in more of the search fields.

You do not have to enter a complete name in the search fields as the system uses a ‘wild-card’ search. Use the status drop-down field to refine your search and click the column headings to sort the results.

The status of a TC describes the progress of the waste.

• Created – the TC has been created in the system but the waste has not been picked up.
• Picked up – the waste has been picked up from the producer, but not yet arrived at the receiving facility.
• Arrived – the waste has arrived at the receiving facility but not yet been accepted. 
• Accepted – the waste has arrived at the receiving facility, been examined or tested to the facility's own requirements and accepted for processing. Any further movement of the waste requires a new TC. 
• Processed – the waste has been processed or treated to the facility's own requirements, or is in storage if the facility is a transfer station, and is no longer being tracked.
• Rejected – a receiving facility has refused to accept the waste, for example, because it has been incorrectly classified or the receiving facility is not licensed to accept it. A receiving facility which rejects waste must tell the transporter where to take it. The rejected waste can either be sent back to the consignor or to another facility that will and can legally accept it.
• Rejected waste delivered – the consignor or another receiving facility has accepted the rejected waste. Any further movement of the waste requires a new TC.
• Terminated – the TC is no longer valid. It has been terminated along with the parent CA, or it was terminated after a processing error. More information may be in the Notes section on the TC.
• Uploaded - TC data loaded into the OWT by businesses using other approved tracking systems. These TCs cannot be further processed or terminated in OWT. See OWT upload download.

The consignor, transporter and receiving facility can all update the TC online as the transport or processing of the waste progresses, with appropriate user account access.

If you make a mistake while processing a TC, email the EPA hazardous.materials@epa.nsw.gov.au for assistance or to amend the TC.

Follow the steps below to record the waste movement.

1. TC Status: Picked up

Once waste has been picked up you can update the TC to enter the details at “Waste amount at pick up”. You can also edit pick up and intended delivery dates.

If a printed copy of the TC is not available when the waste is picked up, See OWT no OWT Lack of access to the online system should not prevent waste being transported.

When recording waste amount, select the most convenient unit from the list available. Units have been allocated for the waste type selected.

You can now

• email the consignor, transporter or receiving facility to notify that the TC has been updated
• view and print the TC.

2. TC Status:Arrived, accepted and processed, or rejected

Receiving facilities can continue to update the TC status for the waste load through the waste tracking system: arrival, and acceptance and processing, or rejection.

Arrived

On this screen the receiving facility records

• the waste amount at arrival
• the arrival date
• any discrepancies in the waste transport
• whether the waste was accompanied by a TC

A paper TC must accompany all trackable waste movements. There is no reason for a paper TC not to accompany waste during transport. Checking the 'No paper TC' box automatically creates an exception report. See OWT discrepancies.

If waste arrives without a paper TC, See ‘What do I do if waste arrives without a paper TC?’

A receiving facility may store the waste temporarily for up to 21 days to while deciding whether to accept or reject the waste. (If you need more time to make a decision, e.g. you are waiting on test results, contact the EPA for an extension of time).

You can now

• email the consignor, transporter or receiving facility to notify that the TC has been updated
• view and print the TC, and premises list if created and your user role allows it
• proceed to the next step in the TC process – record waste acceptance, processing or rejection

Accepted and processed

Once waste has been accepted, any subsequent movement of the waste from the receiving facility requires a new CA and TC.

• The ‘Acceptance’ screen records the date that the receiving facility accepted the waste. It also shows the pick-up details. 
• The ‘Processing’ screen records the processing date and the waste processing treatment.

Receiving facilities can record in a single screen the waste’s arrival and acceptance, or arrival, acceptance and processing, by clicking the button equivalent to the latest step the waste load has reached in the tracking process. For example, if the waste has arrived and you want to record acceptance at the same time, click on the accepted button (rather than the arrived button) to record arrival and acceptance at the same time.

The system will automatically take you to the correct screen, depending on the status of the TC.

Rejected

Receiving facilities may reject a waste load, e.g. if the waste has been incorrectly characterised and the receiving facility is not licensed to accept the waste.

Enter

• the reason for rejection
• whether the waste was returned to the consignor or forwarded to another receiving facility that will and can lawfully accept it

The CA and TC covering the initial transport of the waste to the receiving facility also covers subsequent movement of the rejected waste.

The online system will generate an automatic exception report. See OWT discrepancies [link to OWT discrepancies page]. The EPA will follow up the exception report to check that the rejected waste is transported to the facility to which it was sent and to undertake any other actions arising from the waste rejection that are considered appropriate.

If the receiving facility refuses to tell the transporter where to take the rejected waste, the transporter must, within 3 days, contact the EPA in writing that the waste has been rejected and where the transporter has taken the rejected waste. If the transporter is uncertain as to where to take the waste, they should contact the EPA or the consignor.

3. TC updated

The TC is now processed. Now the TC is updated you can

• Email a copy of the TC to yourself for your records and to the contacts for the other businesses involved in the waste movement.
• View and print the updated TC
• Update the TC further.

Selecting a TC and clicking the 'Terminate' button generates a pop-up window, asking you to confirm that you want to terminate the TC. Once pick-up has been recorded, a TC cannot be terminated except by the EPA. 

A terminated TC

• cannot be further updated
• cannot be 'un-terminated'

Email the EPA at Hazardous.materials@epa.nsw.gov.au to terminate a TC. Quote the TC number and any other relevant information

See OWT discrepancies for handling the following issues

• Different waste amount between pick up and arrival.
• No paper TC with waste load, or no CA for waste consignment.
• Delayed delivery beyond proposed delivery period.
• Rejected waste load.
• Waste transporter, consignor, or other parties are not those noted on the TC.

Select ‘Bulk Print TC’ in the OWT side menu to print hard copy TCs in advance, for multiple waste movements under one CA. You can also use this option to search and print a range of processed TCs rather than individual TC searches.

The agent's receipt function enables an agent to provide a printed receipt to the producers from which it collects waste. This can be used when producers are included on a separate premises list in the OWT instead of individually on a TC.

Select the producer(s) that you want to print a receipt for and click on 'Print agent's receipt'. The document created includes a separate receipt for each selected producer and can be printed or saved as a .pdf file.