01–02
Chapter
The industry or activity. There are 20. Open that chapter and read the note on the chapter page. It says what does not belong there.
842 List of Wastes codes
Find an EWC code
Search the UK List of Wastes by code or description. Hazardous codes are marked, and mirror entries link to their partner. This is a finding aid. Confirm the code before you report it.
Type a code or a waste description, or open a chapter below.
Confirm the wording in WM3 and the List of Wastes on legislation.gov.uk before you use a code on a transfer note or a DWTS submission. Longer explanation: what an EWC code is and how to choose one.
842
Codes
20
Chapters
408
Hazardous
Digital waste tracking
Receiving sites must report this code to DWTS.
Permitted receiving sites in England and Wales report each inbound load to the Digital Waste Tracking Service, and the EWC code is part of that record. WEEE Manager is listed on GOV.UK and sends the code with the rest of the receipt through the API.
How to pick a code
The six digits describe where the waste came from, then the process, then the entry. Start with the activity that produced it. A skip of soil from a demolition job is chapter 17 even if the soil looks like quarry waste from chapter 01.
03–04
Sub-chapter
The process inside that industry, such as wastes from the iron and steel industry, or separately collected municipal fractions.
05–06
Entry
Read every code in that sub-chapter, not just the one that sounds closest. If two codes describe the same waste and only one has an asterisk, they are a mirror pair.
16
If nothing fits
Look at chapter 16, wastes not otherwise specified, before you force a near match. The description on the note still has to say what the waste actually is.
Hazardous asterisk
A code printed with an asterisk is hazardous. The finder keeps that asterisk on the displayed code and labels the entry the way WM3 and the DEFRA reference list do:
20 01 21*
Absolute hazardous
Always hazardous. Fluorescent tubes are an example. The asterisk is not optional.
20 03 01
Absolute non-hazardous
The entry is not hazardous. Mixed municipal waste is an example. It has no asterisk.
17 05 03* / 04
Mirror hazardous and mirror non-hazardous
A pair, such as hazardous and non-hazardous soil. You assess the waste. The hazardous partner carries the asterisk. Choosing the non-hazardous twin because it is easier to move is a classification error.
Mirror entries
Search results and chapter pages link each mirror code to its partner. The link is there so you see both wordings. It is not a decision. WM3 sets out how to decide whether the hazardous or non-hazardous entry applies, including hazardous properties and any threshold concentrations. This finder does not run that assessment.
Some sub-chapters contain several hazardous mirrors against one non-hazardous code, which is common in construction and demolition waste. Open the partner and read it. Do not stop at the first code that mentions the material.
Confirm it, then report it
The list below is the full UK List of Wastes used for transfer notes and for DEFRA digital waste tracking: 842 codes, in the same shape as the receipt API reference data (code, hazardous flag, entry type, chapter, sub-chapter, description). Wording can be amended. Before a code goes on a waste transfer note, a consignment note, or a Digital Waste Tracking Service submission, check it against WM3 and the List of Wastes on legislation.gov.uk. The EWC guide walks through the same rules with examples.
The 20 chapters
Each chapter lists every code in that part of the catalogue. There is no separate page per six-digit code.
01
24 codes
Wastes resulting from exploration, mining, quarrying, and physical and chemical treatment of minerals
Use chapter 01 only when the waste comes from mining, quarrying or mineral processing. Soil and rubble from a building site belong in chapter 17, even when the material looks the same.
7 hazardous
02
38 codes
Wastes from agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, hunting and fishing, food preparation and processing
Chapter 02 covers wastes from farming, fishing and food production, including sludges and washings from those processes. It is not the code for packaged food thrown away by a shop or office. That is usually chapter 20.
1 hazardous
03
19 codes
Wastes from wood processing and the production of panels and furniture, pulp, paper and cardboard
Chapter 03 is for wood processing, panel and furniture manufacture, and pulp, paper and cardboard production. Offcuts from a construction site are chapter 17. Separately collected paper from a household or office round is chapter 20.
6 hazardous
04
21 codes
Wastes from the leather, fur and textile industries
Chapter 04 is process waste from leather, fur and textile manufacture, including finishing sludges and fibres. Worn clothing collected from households sits in chapter 20, not here.
4 hazardous
05
24 codes
Wastes from petroleum refining, natural gas purification and pyrolytic treatment of coal
Chapter 05 is refinery, gas-purification and coal-pyrolysis waste. Many entries are hazardous. Waste oils from a workshop or a garage are chapter 13, not this chapter.
14 hazardous
06
48 codes
Wastes from inorganic chemical processes
Chapter 06 is waste from making inorganic chemicals: acids, alkalis, salts and related sludges. A mirror pair means you assess the composition. The non-hazardous twin is not a default.
29 hazardous
07
78 codes
Wastes from organic chemical processes
Chapter 07 is the largest chemical chapter: organic chemical manufacture, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and fats. Most entries are hazardous or mirror entries. Check the asterisk and the mirror partner before you book the load in.
60 hazardous
08
38 codes
Wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use (MFSU) of coatings (paints, varnishes and vitreous enamels), adhesives, sealants and printing inks
Chapter 08 covers manufacture and use of paints, varnishes, adhesives, sealants and printing inks. Waste paint from a construction job can still belong here when the entry says so. Do not push it into chapter 17 just because it left a building site.
17 hazardous
09
13 codes
Wastes from the photographic industry
Chapter 09 is photographic industry waste, including fixer and developer solutions. Many entries are hazardous. It is a short chapter. Read the exact process, not just "chemicals from a darkroom".
8 hazardous
10
173 codes
Wastes from thermal processes
Chapter 10 is thermal-process waste: power stations, iron and steel, aluminium, and other furnaces. It is the biggest chapter in the list. Match the industry sub-chapter first, then the residue (slag, ash, lining, sludge).
69 hazardous
11
27 codes
Wastes from chemical surface treatment and coating of metals and other materials; non-ferrous hydro-metallurgy
Chapter 11 is chemical surface treatment, coating of metals, and non-ferrous hydrometallurgy. Pickling acids, sludges and wash waters dominate. Mirror entries need a composition check, not a guess from the colour of the liquid.
17 hazardous
12
23 codes
Wastes from shaping and physical and mechanical surface treatment of metals and plastics
Chapter 12 is shaping and mechanical surface treatment of metals and plastics: turnings, grinding sludges and machining oils mixed with swarf. Straight waste oil, separated from the metal, is chapter 13.
13 hazardous
13
34 codes
Oil wastes and wastes of liquid fuels (except edible oils, and those in chapters 05, 12 and 19)
Every entry in chapter 13 is hazardous. It is waste oil and liquid fuels, other than edible oils and the oils already covered in chapters 05, 12 and 19. Do not use a non-hazardous code from another chapter to avoid a consignment note.
34 hazardous
14
5 codes
Waste organic solvents, refrigerants and propellants (except 07 and 08)
Every entry in chapter 14 is hazardous. It is waste organic solvents, refrigerants and propellants, except those already listed under chapters 07 and 08. Name the solvent family in the description as well as the code.
5 hazardous
15
12 codes
Waste packaging; absorbents, wiping cloths, filter materials and protective clothing not otherwise specified
Chapter 15 is packaging, absorbents, wiping cloths, filters and protective clothing when no other chapter fits. Packaging that held a hazardous substance is not the same code as clean cardboard. The asterisk follows the contamination, not the material.
3 hazardous
16
72 codes
Wastes not otherwise specified in the list
Chapter 16 is the "not otherwise specified" chapter: end-of-life vehicles, WEEE, batteries, gases in cylinders and other mixed industrial wastes. Electrical equipment is here (16 02), not in chapter 20, unless it is separately collected municipal WEEE of the kind the list puts in 20 01.
44 hazardous
17
38 codes
Construction and demolition wastes (including excavated soil from contaminated sites)
Chapter 17 is construction and demolition waste, including excavated soil from contaminated sites. Concrete, bricks, wood, bitumen, gypsum, insulation and soil each have their own sub-chapter. Insulation and asbestos entries are where sites most often pick the wrong twin.
16 hazardous
18
16 codes
Wastes from human or animal health care and/or related research (except kitchen and restaurant wastes not arising from immediate health care)
Chapter 18 is human or animal healthcare waste, and research linked to it. Kitchen waste from a hospital canteen is not this chapter. Sharps, medicines and anatomical waste are, and several entries are hazardous.
7 hazardous
19
99 codes
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
Chapter 19 is waste from waste treatment itself: landfill leachate, incinerator ash, composting, anaerobic digestion, shredding and wastewater plants. A treated output is not the same code as the waste that arrived. Re-code it after the process.
40 hazardous
20
40 codes
Municipal wastes (household waste and similar commercial, industrial and institutional wastes) including separately collected fractions
Chapter 20 is municipal waste: household waste and similar waste from commerce, industry and institutions, including separately collected fractions. Mixed black-bag waste, street sweepings and many civic-amenity streams sit here. WEEE and batteries also appear as separately collected fractions.
14 hazardous
Common questions
How do I find the right EWC code?
Start with the process that produced the waste. The first two digits are the chapter, the next two are the sub-chapter, and the last two are the entry. Read the whole sub-chapter, including any hazardous twin, before you choose. If nothing fits, check chapter 16 before using a near miss.
What does the asterisk on an EWC code mean?
An asterisk means that entry is hazardous. Absolute hazardous codes are always hazardous. Absolute non-hazardous codes are not. Mirror entries are pairs: you assess the waste under WM3 and then pick the hazardous or non-hazardous code. Do not drop the asterisk to avoid a consignment note.
What is a mirror entry in the List of Wastes?
A mirror entry is a pair of codes for the same kind of waste. One is hazardous and one is not, depending on the composition. The finder labels them Mirror hazardous and Mirror non-hazardous and links each code to its partner. WM3 is the assessment method. This page does not classify the waste for you.
Do receiving sites have to report the EWC code?
Yes. Permitted receiving sites report each inbound load to the Digital Waste Tracking Service, and the EWC code is part of that record. England and Wales are in scope from 1 October 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow from 1 January 2027. Confirm the current rules on GOV.UK.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. List of Wastes descriptions and WM3 entry types, snapshot 7 October 2026.