Waste Transfer Chains & Held Waste
Understand chain gaps, held waste alerts, and how to close open chains with a follow-on transfer note.
What is a waste transfer chain?
A waste transfer chain tracks the movement of a specific load of waste through multiple transfers. When a carrier collects waste (Collection / Stored), the note is complete but the waste is still in the carrier's custody — this is "held waste". The chain is open until the carrier deposits the waste at a licensed facility with a second note (Deposit / Direct), which closes the chain.
Chain status values
Each note has a chain_status field. "open" means the waste has been collected but not yet deposited — the waste is held in your custody. "closed" means the follow-on deposit note has been created and linked, completing the chain. Notes without a chain are not tracked for chain status.
The Waste Held stat card
The dashboard shows a "Waste Held" stat card that counts all complete notes where chain_status is open or waste_status is stored — both indicate waste sitting in your custody. When this is non-zero, the card is highlighted in red with an animated pulse dot. A Dashboard Alert also appears below the stat cards: "Waste transfer chains have open gaps — action needed".
Finding open chain gaps
Click the "Waste Held" stat card, the chain gap alert on the dashboard, or the "Open waste chains" row in the sidebar alerts to navigate to the affected notes. Open chain notes are flagged in the list view. Click any flagged note to open its detail page where you can see the chain status and create the follow-on deposit note.
Closing a chain
To close an open chain, create a new Deposit (Direct) note for the same waste. When you link the deposit note to the collection note (by selecting it in the chain field), QWTN updates the collection note's chain_status to "closed". The Waste Held count on the dashboard decreases accordingly.
The Waste Chain Diagram
When you view a completed collection or deposit note, a Waste Chain Diagram appears in a side panel (or below the note on mobile). This diagram shows the full journey of the waste: Producer → Carrier (you) → Receiving Site. Each step shows the company name, address, and the note reference ID that links the two parties. Click any note reference to jump to that note. If a weighbridge ticket was linked to the deposit note, its reference also appears and is clickable. For open chains (waste still held), the receiving site shows as "Pending transfer to final receiving site" with a dashed outline, and a "Transfer the stored waste" button lets you create a deposit note directly.
Deferred party notes
A separate alert covers deferred-party notes: "Notes are awaiting a deferred party to be identified". These are notes where Section B or Section C was set to "Confirm later". To resolve them, open the note in the editor and fill in the missing party's details.