# Fridge EWC code Every fridge, freezer and air con unit takes a hazardous code.

> Fridge EWC code: every fridge, freezer and air con unit is hazardous. 20 01 23* or 20 01 35* if household-type, 16 02 11* or 16 02 13* if commercial.
> Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=fridges

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

## Are all fridges hazardous waste?

| Unit | Household-type | Other |
| --- | --- | --- |
| With ozone-depleting coolant or foam | 20 01 23* | 16 02 11* |
| With HFC coolant or foam | 20 01 35* | 16 02 11* |
| All other units | 20 01 35* | 16 02 13* |

That covers fridges, freezers, chillers and air conditioning units. GOV.UK gives no non-hazardous code for any of them.

## Is an office fridge 20 01 23* or 16 02 11*?

A fridge from a site cabin or office tea room is the household type, so it takes a chapter 20 code, even though a business is getting rid of it. Commercial kit a home wouldn’t have, such as a supermarket display chiller, takes chapter 16: 16 02 11* if its coolant or foam contains CFCs, HCFCs or HFCs, otherwise 16 02 13*. GOV.UK’s table only mentions ozone-depleting substances, but the list’s own wording for 16 02 11* includes HFCs.

## Does a fridge need a consignment note?

From a business in England, yes, like any hazardous waste: it moves on a hazardous waste consignment note, not a transfer note. A householder taking a fridge from their own home to a collection point doesn’t need one.

### Sources

- [List of Waste, as retained in UK law (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2000/532/annex)
- [Environment Agency, WM3 waste classification guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-classification-technical-guidance)
- [GOV.UK, Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): how to classify](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waste-electrical-and-electronic-equipment-weee-how-to-classify)
- [GOV.UK, Hazardous waste consignment note supplementary guidance](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hazardous-waste-consignment-note-supplementary-guidance)