# 20 03 01 EWC code Mixed municipal waste: household rubbish, and the same kind from offices and canteens.

> 20 03 01 EWC code (200301): mixed municipal waste, the everyday rubbish from homes, offices and canteens. Never hazardous, but not for building waste.
> Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?code=20-03-01

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

## Is 20 03 01 hazardous?

No. It has no asterisk and no hazardous twin, so it moves on a waste transfer note. Hazardous items don’t belong in the bag: it’s illegal to mix them in. Fluorescent tubes are 20 01 21* and a tub of mixed batteries 20 01 33*, each coded on its own. [Hazardous waste EWC codes](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?list=hazardous)

## What waste goes under 20 03 01?

Chapter 20 covers household waste and similar waste from businesses and institutions. 20 03 01 is the mixed, unsorted part of it: the black-bag rubbish from homes, and the same kind of rubbish from offices, shops, canteens and site welfare cabins.

In England, workplaces must now collect dry recyclables and food waste separately from it. Firms with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent staff have until 31 March 2027 ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-workplace-recycling-in-england)).

## When isn’t mixed rubbish 20 03 01?

- **Building waste**: Mixed waste from the building work is [17 09 04](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?code=17-09-04), even when it’s called general waste.
- **Recycling**: Recycling collected separately takes its own chapter 20 code, such as 20 01 01 for paper and card, or a 15 01 code if it’s packaging.
- **Food**: Kitchen and canteen waste collected separately is 20 01 08. [Food waste codes](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=food)
- **After treatment**: What a waste site sends on after sorting it usually takes a chapter 19 code, such as [19 12 12](https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?code=19-12-12).

### Sources

- [List of Waste (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2000/532/annex)
- [Classify different types of waste: your legal responsibilities (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/classify-different-types-of-waste-your-legal-responsibilities)
- [Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-workplace-recycling-in-england)
- [Packaging waste and recyclables: how to classify (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/packaging-waste-and-recyclables-how-to-classify)
- [Guidance on using the EWC to code waste (SEPA, November 2015)](https://www.sepa.org.uk/media/163421/ewc_guidance.pdf)

The codes apply across the UK. The recycling rule is England’s; Scotland and Wales have their own.