European Waste Catalogue Codes

The Environment Agency published Guidance on the classification and assessment of waste a 185-page document dictating waste assessment. Rubo can help your business comply with these requirements. There are 100s of EWC codes, and making sure you select the correct code is vital to safe and legally compliant waste management.

The waste classification provided by Rubo means your company can meet all the legal requirements. If you need help with your hazardous waste, get in touch today.

What are EWC Codes?

Anyone who has worked in the waste industry will have come across EWC codes, and we are all familiar with seeing the six-digit stream of numbers on transfer paperwork. It is important to remember that assigning the correct EWC code to waste is a legal requirement and comes from the EU’s Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC). 

The ‘list of waste’ has nearly 1000 specific codes for waste, allowing you to accurately assign a suitable code to nearly any waste type imaginable. However, with such a long list how do you find the right code?

Appendix 1 of the Environment Agency’s Technical Guidance WM3 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-classification-technical-guidance  cover in great depth how to assign a correct code, but the basic principle is really straight forward. The first thing to remember is that EWC codes not only describe the waste, but where the waste comes from.

Step 1: Pick the correct chapter

The list is split into 20 ‘chapters’ which refer to general industrial processes from which the waste was produced.

  • 01 wastes resulting from exploration, mining, quarrying, and physical and chemical treatment of minerals 

  • 02 wastes from agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, hunting and fishing, food preparation and processing

  • 03 wastes from wood processing and the production of panels and furniture, pulp, paper and cardboard 

  • 04 wastes from the leather, fur and textile industries

  • 05 wastes from petroleum refining, natural gas purification and pyrolytic treatment of coal 

  • 06 wastes from inorganic chemical processes

  • 07 wastes from organic chemical processes

  • 08 wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use (mfsu) of coatings (paints, varnishes and vitreous enamels), adhesives, sealants and printing inks

  • 09 wastes from the photographic industry 

  • 10 wastes from thermal processes

  • 11 wastes from chemical surface treatment and coating of metals and other materials, non-ferrous hydrometallurgy

  • 12 wastes from shaping and physical and mechanical surface treatment of metals and plastics

  • 13 oil wastes and wastes of liquid fuels (except edible oils, and those in chapters 05, 12 and 19) 

  • 14 waste organic solvents, refrigerants and propellants (except 07 and 08)

  • 15 waste packaging, absorbents, wiping cloths, filter materials and protective clothing not otherwise specified

  • 16 wastes not otherwise specified in the list

  • 17 construction and demolition wastes (including excavated soil from contaminated sites)

  • 18 wastes from human or animal health care and/or related research (except kitchen and restaurant wastes not arising from immediate health care)

  • 19 wastes from waste management facilities, off-site wastewater treatment plants and the preparation of water intended for human consumption and water for industrial use

  • 20 municipal wastes (household waste and similar commercial, industrial and institutional wastes) including separately collected fractions

So it’s simply a case of choosing the best chapter heading that describes the process from which the waste was produced, and this gives you the first two digits for the 6 digits EWC code.

Step 2: Pick the correct description

Each chapter is broken down into further sections with descriptions. For example, Chapter 08 - wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use (mfsu) of coatings (paints, varnishes and vitreous enamels), adhesives, sealants and printing inks is broken down into:

  • 08 01 wastes from MFSU and removal of paint and varnish

  • 08 02 wastes from MFSU of other coatings (including ceramic materials)

  • 08 03 wastes from MFSU of printing inks

  • 08 05 wastes not otherwise specified in 08

As you can see, if we now select a suitable description, we can generate the next two digits of our EWC code. 

Step 3: Pick the specific description

Each of the sections is then broken down into specific descriptions. For example  ‘08 01 wastes from MFSU and removal of paint and varnish’ is split into:

  • 08 01 11* waste paint and varnish containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances

  • 08 01 12 waste paint and varnish other than those mentioned in 08 01 11

  • 08 01 13* sludges from paint or varnish containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances

  • 08 01 14 sludges from paint or varnish other than those mentioned in 08 01 13

  • 08 01 15* aqueous sludges containing paint or varnish containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances

  • 08 01 16 aqueous sludges containing paint or varnish other than those mentioned in 08 01 15

  • 08 01 17* wastes from paint or varnish removal containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances

  • 08 01 18 wastes from paint or varnish removal other than those mentioned in 08 01 17

  • 08 01 19* aqueous suspensions containing paint or varnish containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances

  • 08 01 20 aqueous suspensions containing paint or varnish other than those mentioned in 08 01 19

  • 08 01 21* waste paint or varnish remover AH 08 01 99 wastes not otherwise specified

As you can see if we pick the specific description for the waste, we can generate the 6 digits EWC code, with only having to look at 21 descriptions, not all of the nearly 1000 codes on the list. The key thing to note is the EWC codes ending in * are hazardous waste.

Example 1

As an example, if you have some waste solvent-based paint you need to dispose of and don’t know the EWC code, you would look at the chapter headings and select:

  • 08 wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use (mfsu) of coatings (paints, varnishes and vitreous enamels), adhesives, sealants and printing inks

Then you would check the descriptions in chapter 8, and as the waste is paint, would choose:

  • 08 01 wastes from MFSU and removal of paint and varnish

Finally, we would look at the specific descriptions in the 08 01 section and  as the paint is solvent-based we can select:

  • 08 01 11* waste paint and varnish containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances

So this is a simple example of how EWC codes can be selected, however in some more complex cases they can be much more difficult to select, and sometimes they can be multiple possible options to chose from. It is important to remember that under the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-duty-of-care-code-of-practice it is a legal requirement to select the most accurate EWC code.

If you need any assistance please feel free to get in touch.