# Plasterboard EWC code 17 08 02, unless it’s contaminated with something hazardous.

> Plasterboard EWC code: 17 08 02 unless it’s contaminated with something hazardous, the code for plaster, and why it’s kept out of the mixed skip.
> Web page: https://complyonsite.com/tools/ewc-code-finder?waste=plasterboard

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- Based on the UK List of Waste and GOV.UK guidance
- Nothing is stored

## Is plasterboard hazardous waste?

Not normally. Plasterboard and other gypsum waste is 17 08 02. If it’s contaminated with hazardous substances, it’s 17 08 01*. The two are a pair, so an assessment decides which applies, and if you can’t find out what’s in it, use 17 08 01*. Either way it goes on the note under its own code, not inside a mixed skip code.

## Why can’t plasterboard go in a mixed skip?

In England, gypsum waste mustn’t go to a landfill cell that takes biodegradable waste, and it must be separated for reuse or recovery. That’s why skip firms collect plasterboard on its own. Keep it out of the mixed skip and ask your skip firm for a separate bag or skip for it.

## Is plaster the same EWC code as plasterboard?

Gypsum plaster, yes. 17 08 covers every gypsum-based construction material, so gypsum plaster and skim take 17 08 02 too, or 17 08 01* if they’re contaminated with something hazardous. Sand and cement render and mortar aren’t gypsum-based, so 17 08 doesn’t apply to them.

### Sources

- [List of Waste, as retained in UK law (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2000/532/annex)
- [GOV.UK, Construction and demolition waste: how to classify](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/construction-and-demolition-waste-how-to-classify)
- [Environment Agency, WM3 waste classification guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-classification-technical-guidance)
- [GOV.UK, Dispose of waste to landfill](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dispose-of-waste-to-landfill)