Help - transport certificate

About TCs

A transport certificate (TC) records the movement of a waste load: the actual pick-up of waste, its delivery to and acceptance and processing by the receiving facility (or its rejection by the facility), as well as any discrepancies in the operation.

Provided you enter the required data, a TC created using WasteTracker meets the requirements of the EPA. The TC can be used to record waste movements within SA or waste movements from interstate to a SA facility. For waste movements from SA to an interstate facility, contact the environment authority in the destination state or territory for advice on requirements.

The consignor or receiving facility nominated on the CA can create a TC, provided that they have the appropriate log-on access. Once the TC has been created, it is printed and accompanies the waste load during transport. It doesn't matter who prints the TC, as long as it is available to accompany the waste during transport. The consignor, transporter and receiving facility sign the appropriate part of the TC and the receiving facility should retain the signed TC for at least 12 months from receipt of the waste.

Create TC

  1. Search for and select a CA
    A TC is derived from a consignment authorisation. So on the New TC screen, first search for and select a CA that matches the movement of the specific waste, from and to the appropriate consignor and receiving facility
     
    TCs can be created in advance but waste must be picked up before the CA nominated on the TC has expired. The EPA will terminate any unused TCs once the CA has expired or been terminated. 
     
    You must enter data in at least one of the search fields: CA number, waste code, consignor, receiving facility or CA status. If there are too many records matching your search criteria, you will be asked to further refine your search by entering data in more of the search fields.

    • If there is no matching CA to create a TC to send with the waste load, the receiving facility can create a new CA to cover the waste movement. See help - consignment authorisation.

    • If there is no matching CA and the waste load has already been transported to your receiving facility, click the Create TC w/o CA button on the Existing CA screen to enter the waste movement details. This situation may occur when the waste is accompanied by a handwritten TC or is not accompanied by a TC at all. See help - discrepancies and exceptions
      TIP: Click the view icon view icon to see a full list of consignors to choose from when creating a TC w/o CA.

  2. CA details copied to TC
    The consignor, waste and receiving facility details are copied from the selected CA to the TC being created.

    Producer premises
    If you are a producer or receiving facility, the producer premises details are also copied from the CA.
    OR
    If you are an agent acting as a consignor on behalf of waste producers, click the Premises or Change premises button to compile a list of pick-up premises. Only the agent can create, view and print this premises list. If the agent is a transporter, the receiving facility does not have access to this information.
    TIP: The agent should print a copy of the producer premises list, and this list should accompany the waste during transport.  The producer premises list should be retained by the agent. It does not have to be handed to the receiving facility with the TC.  

    Click the Next button.

  3. Select transporter
    Select a transporter from the Custom list or Full list of transporters. Save time and create your own custom list of preferred transporters to choose from.
     
    Click Next.

  4. Edit draft TC
    Data from the selected consignment authorisation (CA) and data that you have selected for the TC are copied to the draft TC.
      TIP:
      Important
      Enter phone numbers as follows -

      landlines:
      (99) 9999 9999
      mobiles:
      9999 999999
    • Some of the data is automatically entered by the system and cannot be changed: i.e. the data that defines the CA. To change this data, you will need to cancel the draft TC and create a new TC using a CA that covers the required waste movement.
    • Some data can be changed for the particular TC: e.g. contact details may change from time to time; some waste data can be updated for the particular waste load.
    • Some new data can be entered: e.g. add additional notes for transport drivers or others involved in the movement of the waste load to ensure that operations go smoothly.

    TIP: If data which can be changed has changed permanently (e.g. a new contact person has been appointed), then change the data on the CA and the changed data will appear on all new TCs created from that CA.

    TIP: Clicking the Print draft TC button will generate a TC without a TC number (and, if you are an agent, a separate list of selected pick-up premises) for checking only. This is not a valid TC. You must click the Create TC button to create a valid, numbered TC. 

    TIP: Make sure all data fields marked with * are completed.
     
    Legal responsibilities: You must check the box indicating that you accept the legal responsibilities of creating the TC.

    TIP: If you don't want to go ahead with creating the TC from the draft TC, click Cancel. Your data will not be saved.
     
    Click the Create TC button.

  5. TC created
    Once the TC is created you can:
    • View and print the numbered TC (and if you are an agent a separate list of pick-up premises) to send with your transporter.
    • Email a copy of the TC to yourself for your records, and/or to the contacts in the other businesses involved in the waste movement..
    • Update the TC with the pick-up details, if the waste load has already been picked up.
TIP: It is possible to create several TCs for later use if desired. For example, if the user who normally creates TCs is going on leave, he/she could create enough TCs to cover waste movements during the leave period. The 'proposed delivery period' on a CA is the expected time between when a waste is picked up from the consignor and when it arrives at the receiving facility.  It does not limit how far in advance of pickup a TC can be created.

Search TC

Use the Existing TC screen to locate the 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 onscreen, and
    • Print TC - generate a printer-friendly version of the TC displayed.
    • 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 or CA status. If there are too many records matching your search ciriteria, you will be asked to further refine your search by entering data in more of the search fields.

TIP: Use the Status dropdown to quickly refine your search..

TIP: Click the column headings in the Search results table to sort the list. Click again to sort the list in reverse order. 

TIP: You don't have to type the complete name you are searching for. Refine your search quickly by typing the first 3 letters, say, of the business, the suburb, etc.

Update TC

Change details

If, after creating the TC, you need to change some details, you can:

  • Add and delete pickup premises choosing from the list of producers that the agent represents (agents only).
  • Change the selected transporter by either choosing from the full list of licensed transporters, or save time and create your own custom list of preferred transporters to choose from, using the Tools function.
  • Update contact details.
    TIP: It is essential that you keep your contact details up to date - if there is an accident during transport, emergency services rely on this information to contact your business if they need more information about the waste.

Record waste movement

1 Picked-up

Once waste has been picked up you can update the TC to enter the pick-up details.

If a printed copy of the TC is not available when the waste is picked up, a handwritten TC containing the required information can be used. Information on the handwritten TC can be entered into the system by the receiving facility later, when access to the on-line system is available. Lack of access to the online system should not prevent waste being transported. See What do I do if Waste Tracker is not available?

TIP: When recording waste amount, select the most convenient unit from the list available. Tonnes and kg are available for all waste types. Litres is available for most waste types, except where the waste can only ever be a solid. Other units are available for specific waste types, such as cubic metres for contaminated soil and number of drums for drums contaminated with a controlled waste. The system has in-built conversion factors to convert waste amount to kg for comparing waste amount at pickup and arrival. 

TIP: In certain circumstances, it is impractical to update the TC with the amount of waste at pick up. Waste Tracker allows for this by providing a "waste amount at pick up required" check box.  If it is impractical to record waste amount at pick up, uncheck this box when creating a CA. The EPA monitors the use of the waste amount at pick up not required function.  Receiving facilities that abuse the option (i.e. uncheck the 'waste amount at pick up required' checkbox when the waste amount can clearly be recorded at pickup) may lose their approval to issue CAs.

2. Arrived, accepted & processed, or rejected 

It is a requirement that a paper TC accompany all waste movements that must be tracked. 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 help - discrepancies and exceptions.

If waste arrives without a paper TC, the receiving may still accept the waste if it is legally able to and wants to accept it. See What do I do if waste arrives without a paper TC?

A receiving facility may store the waste temporarily 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).

  • Accepted and processed

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

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

TIP: Receiving facilities can record on a single screen the arrival & acceptance, or arrival, acceptance & 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.

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

OR

Receiving faciilites 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, and whether the waste was returned to the consignor or forwarded to another receiving facility that will and can legally accept it. The CA and TC covering the 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 help - discrepancies and exceptions. 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, he/she should contact the EPA or the consignor.

3. TC updated

Once the TC is updated you can:

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

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Terminate TC

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

A terminated TC:

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

TIP: TCs can be created in advance but waste must be picked up before the CA nominated on the TC has expired. The EPA will terminate any unused TCs once the CA has expired or been terminated. 

Record discrepancy

When a waste load arrives at a receiving facility and the details of the waste load recorded on the TC differ from the actual details of the waste load delivered, the receiving facility must record the discrepancy:

  1. Search for and select the TC.
  2. Click the Update TC button 
  3. Click the Record discrepancy button on the Update TC screen
  4. Adjust any waste that are incorrect 
  5. Adjust any consignor details that are incorrect.
  6. Adjust any transporter details that are incorrect, and indicate whether a change of transporter was authorised/expected.

TIP: If the difference between the amount of waste recorded at pickup and arrival varies by more than 20%, an exception report is automatically created by the system.  As long as the waste amount is recorded in the online system at pickup and arrival, there is no need to record the variation in waste amount separately as a discrepancy.

TIP: To record a discrepancy in the consignor or transporter, you can search the list of consignors or transporters in the online system by clicking on the view icon view icon. If you cannot find the consignor or transporter you want, type in their details.

See help - discrepancies and exceptions.

Change of transporter expected?

Waste may be transferred directly between vehicles during transit provided that the transfer is recorded on the paper TC accompanying the waste and the paper TC is transferred with the waste.

  • Check the 'change in transporter authorised/expected' box on the discrepancy report if the transfer has been recorded on the paper TC and the receiving facility has no reason to believe that the transfer involved any illegal activity. Enter the details of the transporter who delivered the waste as the discrepancy) .
  • Uncheck the 'change in transporter authorised/expected' box on the discrepancy report if the transfer has not been recorded on the paper TC or the receiving facility believes that the transfer may have involved illegal activity.

See help - discrepancies and exceptions.

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View discrepancy record

To view the discrepancy record of a TC:

  1. Search for and select an existing TC.
  2. Click the View button to display the TC, and
  3. Click the View discrepancy button on the displayed TC - if there is no discrepancy for the TC, a pop-up message will indicate this.

Agent's receipt

The agent's receipt function enables an agent to provide a printed receipt to the producers from which it collects waste.  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.

 

Page last updated: 2 March 2015