# 17 09 04 EWC code Mixed construction and demolition waste, once an assessment shows it isn’t hazardous.

> 17 09 04 EWC code for mixed construction waste: what goes in a builder’s skip, what has to come out first, and when it’s 17 09 02* or 17 09 03* instead.
> Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?code=17-09-04

- Free, no account
- Based on the UK List of Waste, WM3 and GOV.UK guidance
- Nothing is stored

## Is 17 09 04 hazardous?

No. It’s the non-hazardous half of a pair, so it applies only once an assessment shows nothing hazardous is in the load, and then the skip moves on a waste transfer note. If what’s in it genuinely can’t be found out, it goes under the hazardous side of the pair: 17 09 01*, 17 09 02* or 17 09 03*.

## What goes in a 17 09 04 skip, and what takes its own code?

| Waste | Code |
| --- | --- |
| Mixed waste from the building work | 17 09 04 |
| Rubble kept apart: concrete, bricks, tiles | 17 01 07 |
| [Wood](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=wood) kept apart | 17 02 01 |
| [Metal](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=metal) kept apart | 17 04 07 |
| Soil and stones | [17 05 04](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?code=17-05-04) |
| [Plasterboard](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=plasterboard) | 17 08 02 |
| Office, canteen and welfare rubbish | [20 03 01](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?code=20-03-01) |
| A skip of packaging only | 15 01 06 |

Most of these have a hazardous twin, which applies unless an assessment shows the waste isn’t hazardous. Anything kept out of the mixed skip goes on the note under its own code.

## When is a mixed skip 17 09 01*, 17 09 02* or 17 09 03*?

- **17 09 01***: Mercury in the load.
- **17 09 02***: PCB in the load: PCB sealants, resin floors, sealed glazing units or capacitors, from 50 mg/kg PCB in the item.
- **17 09 03***: Other hazardous substances. Unused or unset cement is 17 09 03* too.

There’s no small-amount exemption. [WM3](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6152d0b78fa8f5610b9c222b/Waste_classification_technical_guidance_WM3.pdf)’s example is a load that would be 17 09 04 becoming 17 09 02* once PCB resin flooring is in it.

## What has to come out of a mixed construction skip?

- Anything hazardous. It’s illegal to mix hazardous waste with other waste. [Hazardous waste EWC codes](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?list=hazardous)
- Asbestos. A piece holding 0.1% asbestos or more is hazardous and coded on its own: 17 06 05*, or 17 06 01* for insulation. [Asbestos codes](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=asbestos)
- Plasterboard, if the skip goes to landfill: gypsum can’t go into a landfill cell that takes biodegradable waste.
- In England, cardboard, other dry recyclables and food. GOV.UK says they shouldn’t be mixed or compacted with other construction waste. Your collector may ask for cardboard bagged on top of the skip. Firms with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent staff have until 31 March 2027.

### Sources

- [List of Waste (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2000/532/annex)
- [WM3 waste classification guidance (Environment Agency, NRW, SEPA)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6152d0b78fa8f5610b9c222b/Waste_classification_technical_guidance_WM3.pdf)
- [Construction and demolition waste: how to classify (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/construction-and-demolition-waste-how-to-classify)
- [Classify different types of waste: your legal responsibilities (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/classify-different-types-of-waste-your-legal-responsibilities)
- [Dispose of waste to landfill (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dispose-of-waste-to-landfill)
- [Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-workplace-recycling-in-england)

The codes apply across the UK. The recycling rule and GOV.UK guides are for England.