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Hazardous waste EWC codes Every code with an asterisk, and what changes when one applies to your waste.

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  • Based on the UK List of Waste, WM3 and GOV.UK guidance
  • Nothing is stored

Find an EWC code

Pick a waste or type one, and its code shows here.

Which EWC codes are hazardous?

Every code with an asterisk: 408 of them. Waste under any of those codes is hazardous waste. 235 apply whatever is in the waste, such as 20 01 21* for fluorescent tubes.

The other 173 are the hazardous half of a pair, such as 17 05 03* for soil. They apply unless an assessment shows the waste isn’t hazardous, and whenever what’s in it can’t be found out.

Who fills in a hazardous waste consignment note?

In England, hazardous waste moves on a consignment note, not a waste transfer note. It’s filled in before the waste leaves and stays with it until it arrives.

A and B
The producer or holder, before it’s collected
C
The carrier
D
The consignor, who hands it over
E
The site that receives it

Part B also asks for the waste’s hazardous properties (HP codes). They come from classifying the waste, not from its code. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules: see NRW, SEPA and DAERA.

How many consignment note copies, and for how long?

  • You’ll normally need 3 copies. Once parts A to D are filled in, the consignor keeps one, gives one to the producer if that’s someone else, and hands the rest back to the carrier.
  • Keep your copies for 3 years at the site that produced or stored the waste.

Does hazardous waste from someone’s home need a consignment note?

Not to move it from an occupied home to a first collection point. That includes hazardous waste a plumber, electrician or other tradesperson produces while working there. Asbestos is the exception: a contractor who removes asbestos from a home must consign it and fill in the note as the producer.

All 408 hazardous EWC codes

Every code with an asterisk, chapter by chapter. Tap a code to see what it pairs with.

01 Wastes resulting from exploration, mining, quarrying, and physical and chemical treatment of minerals 7 codes
02 Wastes from agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, hunting and fishing, food preparation and processing 1 codes
03 Wastes from wood processing and the production of panels and furniture, pulp, paper and cardboard 6 codes
04 Wastes from the leather, fur and textile industries 4 codes
05 Wastes from petroleum refining, natural gas purification and pyrolytic treatment of coal 14 codes
06 Wastes from inorganic chemical processes 29 codes
07 Wastes from organic chemical processes 60 codes
08 Wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use (MFSU) of coatings (paints, varnishes and vitreous enamels), adhesives, sealants and printing inks 17 codes
09 Wastes from the photographic industry 8 codes
10 Wastes from thermal processes 69 codes
11 Wastes from chemical surface treatment and coating of metals and other materials; non-ferrous hydro-metallurgy 17 codes
12 Wastes from shaping and physical and mechanical surface treatment of metals and plastics 13 codes
13 Oil wastes and wastes of liquid fuels (except edible oils, and those in chapters 05, 12 and 19) 34 codes
14 Waste organic solvents, refrigerants and propellants (except 07 and 08) 5 codes
15 Waste packaging; absorbents, wiping cloths, filter materials and protective clothing not otherwise specified 3 codes
16 Wastes not otherwise specified in the list 44 codes
17 Construction and demolition wastes (including excavated soil from contaminated sites) 16 codes
18 Wastes from human or animal health care and/or related research (except kitchen and restaurant wastes not arising from immediate health care) 7 codes
19 Wastes from waste management facilities, off-site waste water treatment plants and the preparation of water intended for human consumption and water for industrial use 40 codes
20 Municipal wastes (household waste and similar commercial, industrial and institutional wastes) including separately collected fractions 14 codes