What recycling records to keep

Last reviewed 25 October 2026

A recycling record shows what you separate, who collects it, and what was taken. The useful papers are a contract or a landlord’s written confirmation, a written assessment where paper and card are co-collected, and the note that describes a transfer. A photograph can support a note. It does not replace it.

Three records: a contract or landlord confirmation, a collection note, and a transfer note. — A photograph of a bin does not replace the written record.

The papers that answer an audit question

Start with who arranges the bin. If you do, keep the collection contract and the carrier’s details. If a landlord, centre or brewery does, keep their written confirmation of each stream, including any stream they do not collect. In England, paper and card collected with other dry recycling also need the collector’s written assessment.

When waste leaves the site, the transfer should name the waste and go to an authorised person. Keep the copy of that note for the period your nation requires. A diary that says “Tuesday, recycling” is a schedule. It becomes a collection record when you can show the collection and the paperwork.

What SortProof stores

SortProof stores the answers and the files you upload, and it checks an English site against the England rules. Uploading a file does not, by itself, change a readiness result. A missing upload does not, by itself, mean the workplace is legally non-compliant. The status follows the rules and the evidence linked to them.

The same idea of a written confirmation is useful in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the stream list comes from that nation. Keep the official page with the file so a later reader knows which rules you were following.

In short

File the contract or the landlord’s written confirmation for each stream.
If paper and card share a collection with other dry recycling in England, file the written assessment.
Keep transfer notes with a description of the waste.
Add a collection record when a collection happens, not only when you plan one.
Use a photograph only as a support. Do not treat it as the document.

Questions

Does a photo of the bins meet the paper-and-card rule?

No. In England, co-collection of paper and card needs the collector’s written assessment. A photo does not replace it.

How long do we keep a transfer note?

Follow the period stated on the official duty-of-care page for the nation. In Scotland the duty of care code tells producers to retain the note for two years. Check the page that applies to your site before you throw one away.

Related guides

SortProof stores the record you enter. It is guidance, not a certificate, and it is not issued by Defra or the Environment Agency.