EWC codes classify waste in six digits. The first two are the chapter (where the waste comes from), the next two the sub-chapter, the last two the entry. An asterisk marks a hazardous entry. The official name is now the List of Waste (LoW) code; "EWC", from the European Waste Catalogue, is the name everyone still uses. The code goes on every waste transfer note and consignment note, next to the written description, so the site receiving the load can match it to its permit. Below are the codes a London business actually meets. The full list runs to over 800 entries; these are the ones that appear on commercial collections.
Everyday business waste (chapter 20)
| Code | List of Waste entry | What it covers in practice |
|---|
| 20 03 01 | mixed municipal waste | The general waste bin or sack from a shop, office, restaurant or salon. The code on most commercial general waste collections. |
| 20 01 01 | paper and cardboard | Separately collected paper and card, such as a cardboard-only bin. Boxes as packaging can also be 15 01 01. |
| 20 01 08 | biodegradable kitchen and canteen waste | The food waste bin. |
| 20 02 01 | biodegradable waste | Garden and grounds waste: cuttings, leaves, hedge trimmings. |
| 20 01 02 | glass | Separately collected glass that is not packaging. Bar and restaurant bottles are usually 15 01 07. |
| 20 01 25 | edible oil and fat | Used cooking oil. |
| 20 01 10 / 20 01 11 | clothes / textiles | Uniforms, linen, rags. |
| 20 01 38 | wood other than that mentioned in 20 01 37 | Untreated wood that is not packaging. Pallets are 15 01 03. |
| 20 01 39 / 20 01 40 | plastics / metals | Separately collected plastics or metals. |
| 20 01 34 | batteries and accumulators other than those mentioned in 20 01 33 | Ordinary alkaline batteries. |
| 20 01 36 | discarded electrical and electronic equipment other than those mentioned in 20 01 21, 20 01 23 and 20 01 35 | Small electricals with no hazardous parts. Business IT is often coded under 16 02. |
| 20 03 07 | bulky waste | Sofas, mattresses, furniture, carpets. |
| 20 03 02 / 20 03 03 | waste from markets / street-cleaning residues | Market pitches, sweepings. |
Packaging (chapter 15)
| Code | List of Waste entry | What it covers in practice |
|---|
| 15 01 01 | paper and cardboard packaging | Boxes, cartons, paper sacks. |
| 15 01 02 | plastic packaging | Film, shrink wrap, bottles, tubs, trays. |
| 15 01 03 | wooden packaging | Pallets and crates. |
| 15 01 04 | metallic packaging | Cans, tins, foil trays. |
| 15 01 05 | composite packaging | Drinks cartons and other layered packaging. |
| 15 01 06 | mixed packaging | A recycling bin of mixed packaging. One of the two codes used for dry mixed recycling (see below). |
| 15 01 07 | glass packaging | Bottles and jars. |
| 15 01 09 | textile packaging | Sacks and bale wrap. |
| 15 02 03 | absorbents, filter materials, wiping cloths and protective clothing other than those mentioned in 15 02 02 | Clean rags, overalls, filters. |
Construction and demolition waste (chapter 17)
| Code | List of Waste entry | What it covers in practice |
|---|
| 17 09 04 | mixed construction and demolition wastes other than those mentioned in 17 09 01, 17 09 02 and 17 09 03 | A typical mixed site load. |
| 17 01 01 / 17 01 02 / 17 01 03 | concrete / bricks / tiles and ceramics | Clean, single-material rubble. |
| 17 01 07 | mixtures of concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics other than those mentioned in 17 01 06 | Mixed rubble. |
| 17 02 01 / 17 02 02 / 17 02 03 | wood / glass / plastic | Timber, window glass, uPVC from a site. |
| 17 03 02 | bituminous mixtures other than those mentioned in 17 03 01 | Tarmac, asphalt. |
| 17 04 05 / 17 04 07 | iron and steel / mixed metals | Scrap metal from a site. |
| 17 04 11 | cables other than those mentioned in 17 04 10 | Cabling. |
| 17 05 04 | soil and stones other than those mentioned in 17 05 03 | Clean excavated soil. |
| 17 08 02 | gypsum-based construction materials other than those mentioned in 17 08 01 | Plasterboard, which must be kept separate. |
Equipment and tyres (chapter 16)
| Code | List of Waste entry | What it covers in practice |
|---|
| 16 02 14 | discarded equipment other than those mentioned in 16 02 09 to 16 02 13 | Business electrical equipment with no hazardous parts. |
| 16 01 03 | end-of-life tyres | Tyres, which are banned from landfill. |
Hazardous codes (the asterisk)
| Code | List of Waste entry | What it covers in practice |
|---|
| 17 06 05* | construction materials containing asbestos | Asbestos. |
| 20 01 21* | fluorescent tubes and other mercury-containing waste | Strip lights, energy-saving bulbs. |
| 20 01 23* | discarded equipment containing chlorofluorocarbons | Fridges, freezers, air-conditioning units. |
| 20 01 27* | paint, inks, adhesives and resins containing hazardous substances | Solvent-based paint, adhesives. |
| 20 01 33* | batteries and accumulators included in 16 06 01, 16 06 02 or 16 06 03 and unsorted batteries and accumulators containing these batteries | Lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and mercury batteries. |
| 16 06 01* | lead batteries | Vehicle and UPS batteries. |
| 20 01 35* | discarded electrical and electronic equipment other than those mentioned in 20 01 21 and 20 01 23 containing hazardous components | Monitors, some IT and lab equipment. |
| 16 02 13* | discarded equipment containing hazardous components other than those mentioned in 16 02 09 to 16 02 12 | The same, from business premises. |
| 15 01 10* | packaging containing residues of or contaminated by hazardous substances | Paint tins and chemical drums with residue. |
| 15 02 02* | absorbents, filter materials (including oil filters not otherwise specified), wiping cloths, protective clothing contaminated by hazardous substances | Oily rags and filters. |
| 18 01 03* | wastes whose collection and disposal is subject to special requirements in order to prevent infection | Infectious clinical waste. |
Hazardous waste travels on a hazardous waste consignment note, not a transfer note, and needs a specialist carrier. We do not carry it; we can refer you to one of our partners.
Which code goes on your waste transfer note?
The List of Waste says to look first in the chapter for the source of the waste (chapters 01 to 12 and 17 to 20), then in chapters 13 to 15, then chapter 16. For most business collections that gives one obvious answer: general waste is 20 03 01, food waste 20 01 08, a mixed site load 17 09 04. Dry mixed recycling is the one that splits: a bin of mixed packaging reads as 15 01 06, and sub-chapter 20 01 excludes packaging covered by 15 01, but many collectors and receiving sites code a mixed recycling sack as municipal waste under chapter 20. The code that matters is the one the receiving site's permit lists, so ask your collector which it uses; both are non-hazardous and both go on an ordinary transfer note. How to fill in the rest of the note: Waste transfer note.
