List of EWC codes for finding the right waste classification

List of EWC codes for waste classification

The list of EWC codes is in Appendix A of the official WM3 waste-classification guidance. EWC means European Waste Catalogue. These six-digit List of Waste (LoW) codes identify waste types, and an asterisk marks hazardous entries.

Open WM3 from that page for the six-digit entries. The underlying EU list is in the Annex to Commission Decision 2000/532/EC.

EWC code list by chapter

This table is a navigation index, not the complete list of waste codes. Its labels shorten the 20 official chapter headings, so check the full headings before you apply an exclusion. The detailed chapter 13 heading, for example, excludes edible oils and wastes in chapters 05, 12, and 19.

How to find the right EWC code

Start with the process that produced the waste, rather than a matching material name. Under the List of Waste Annex, the full description includes the six-digit entry and its two-digit and four-digit headings, so the parent headings still control the lookup. The first two digits identify the chapter. The first four digits identify the subchapter. The Annex sets this search order:

1. Look for the generating source in chapters 01-12 or 17-20. Exclude entries ending in 99 at this stage.
2. If no entry fits, check chapters 13, 14 and 15.
3. If none fits there, check chapter 16.
4. Only then use the appropriate 99-ending entry in the section for the generating activity identified initially.

A 99 ending is part of a six-digit code, not a standalone code or a first-choice catch-all. Chapter 16 isn't the starting point just because the waste looks unusual.

But a lookup cannot always settle the classification. GOV.UK guidance notes that some waste items have more than one classification, depending on the possible mix of substances in them.

What does the asterisk mean?

The GOV.UK construction-waste guide says an asterisk at the end of a code means the waste is hazardous. It gives 17 05 03* and 17 05 04 as the alternative soil entries. The descriptions below follow the EU list. GOV.UK shortens the non-hazardous line to soil and stones not containing hazardous substances.

This hazardous and non-hazardous pair needs assessment, not a decision based on appearance. Detecting a substance does not by itself settle which entry applies. The same GOV.UK guide says you will always need to assess the soil before you transfer it to another person.

Check the date and jurisdiction

For UK lookups, start with WM3 and check your applicable regulator's guidance. Do not treat an EU amendment as automatic UK-wide adoption. EU battery-code changes apply from 9 December 2026, so check the rules in your UK jurisdiction before you use a revised entry. RegAffairs AI provides a worked answer on finding and choosing EWC codes, alongside the official sources linked here.

For US readers, EWC codes do not replace applicable EPA hazardous-waste codes.

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