Q.01

Where can I find the list of EWC codes?

The EWC codes (the "European List of Waste", or LoW) are in the Annex to Commission Decision 2000/532/EC, published on EUR-Lex. The newest consolidated version is CELEX 02000D0532-20261209 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02000D0532-20261209). It holds 880 six-digit codes in 20 chapters, and 435 of them carry an asterisk (*), which marks hazardous waste. I've put the complete list in the panel document, grouped by chapter with the chapter and sub-chapter headings.

The 20 chapters:

  • 01: exploration, mining, quarrying and treatment of minerals [1]
  • 02: agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, hunting, fishing and food processing [2]
  • 03: wood, panels, furniture, pulp, paper and cardboard [3]
  • 04: leather, fur and textiles [4]
  • 05: petroleum refining, natural gas purification and pyrolytic treatment of coal [5]
  • 06: inorganic chemical processes [6]
  • 07: organic chemical processes [7]
  • 08: coatings, adhesives, sealants and printing inks [8]
  • 09: photographic industry [9]
  • 10: thermal processes [10]
  • 11: chemical surface treatment and coating of metals; non-ferrous hydro-metallurgy [11]
  • 12: shaping and surface treatment of metals and plastics [12]
  • 13: oil wastes and liquid fuels [13]
  • 14: organic solvents, refrigerants and propellants [14]
  • 15: packaging, absorbents, wiping cloths, filter materials and protective clothing [15]
  • 16: wastes not otherwise specified in the list [16]
  • 17: construction and demolition [17]
  • 18: human or animal health care [18]
  • 19: waste management facilities and water treatment [19]
  • 20: municipal wastes [20]

Battery codes change on 9 December 2026. That date is a few weeks away, so older lists, including the widely used 2015 consolidation (842 codes), will soon be out of date. I couldn't open the EUR-Lex page to identify the act that makes these changes. Compared with the 2015 text:

  • 42 codes added, all about batteries:
    • 10 08 21 to 10 08 26: slags from battery recycling
    • 16 06 07 to 16 06 15: waste batteries by chemistry, e.g. 16 06 07* waste lithium-based batteries [21]
    • 16 06 22 to 16 06 35: battery manufacturing waste
    • 19 02 12 and 19 02 13
    • 19 14 01 to 19 14 08: battery treatment fractions and alloys
    • 20 01 42 to 20 01 44: municipal waste batteries [22]
  • 4 codes removed:
    • 16 06 05 "other batteries and accumulators" [23]
    • 19 02 11 [24]
    • 20 01 33 [25]
    • 20 01 34 [26]
  • One code becomes hazardous: 16 06 04 was "alkaline batteries (except 16 06 03)", not hazardous [european_list_of_waste_low_ewc_codes_legal_reference_list:02000D0532-20150601-160604:a] … it becomes "waste alkaline-based batteries (other than those mentioned in 16 06 03)", marked hazardous [27].
  • Other wording changes: 16 06 01, 16 06 02, 16 06 03, 16 06 06 and 09 01 11 are reworded, e.g. 16 06 01 "lead batteries" becomes "waste lead-acid batteries" [28].

Approach: I used the European List of Waste annexed to Decision 2000/532/EC, in both the newest EUR-Lex consolidation and the 1 June 2015 one, and compared them code by code. This answer covers the EU list only; national versions, such as those used in Great Britain, were not checked.

Q.02

How do I choose the right waste code?

Choose a code by first finding the activity or process that produced the waste, then the six-digit entry that describes it. If that entry comes in a hazardous/non-hazardous pair, what the waste contains decides which half applies. The Annex to Decision 2000/532/EC also sets a required order for searching the chapters. I couldn't open that introductory text on EUR-Lex this time, so I haven't stated the order from memory. It is in the consolidated Decision: CELEX 02000D0532-20150601.

How the list works, as the entries show:

  1. Start from the source. Most chapters are named after the industry or process that makes the waste, for example chapter 08 (coatings, adhesives, sealants and printing inks) or chapter 17 (construction and demolition). A few are named after the waste itself, such as 13 (oil wastes) and 15 (packaging). Under each chapter, sub-chapters narrow the process. Example: 08 01 covers "wastes from MFSU and removal of paint and varnish" [29].

  2. Check whether the entry is an "absolute" or a "mirror" entry.

    • Absolute entries are always hazardous (starred) or always non-hazardous, whatever the waste contains. Examples: 15 01 10* "packaging containing residues of or contaminated by hazardous substances" [30], 15 01 02 "plastic packaging" [31] and 20 03 01 "mixed municipal waste" [32].
    • Mirror entries come in pairs: a starred "containing hazardous substances" code and a non-hazardous "other than those mentioned in…" code. Examples:
      • 17 05 03* soil and stones containing hazardous substances [33] and 17 05 04 soil and stones other than those mentioned in 17 05 03 [34]
      • 08 01 11* waste paint and varnish containing organic solvents or other hazardous substances [29] and 08 01 12 [35]
      • In the current list I count 164 entries worded "other than those mentioned in".

  3. For a mirror pair, assess the waste. You need to know what it contains and whether it shows hazardous properties. The Commission's page on implementing the Waste Framework Directive says its guidance on waste classification (OJ C 124, 2018) gives "step-by-step information on how to assess whether waste displays hazardous properties and on how to classify it". It also covers waste types that stakeholders find hard to classify (Commission page). I couldn't open the notice itself, so I haven't summarised its test steps.

  4. Fallbacks, used only when nothing specific fits:

    • Chapter 16 is "wastes not otherwise specified in the list" [16].
    • Most sub-chapters end in a "99" code, "wastes not otherwise specified". There are 69 of these, for example 08 01 99 [36].
    • Waste authorities commonly treat a 99 code as a last resort, since it says nothing about the waste.

  5. Batteries change on 9 December 2026. The Commission's amending Annex (C(2025) 1360) replaces sub-chapter 16 06. Under it, lithium-, nickel-, zinc- and alkaline-based waste batteries all get starred codes. It also adds manufacturing-waste mirror pairs such as 16 06 24* and 16 06 25, and a new sub-chapter 19 14 for battery treatment fractions (Commission Annex, DOCX). The Commission's announcement adds that "black mass shall be classified as hazardous waste."

If you describe a specific waste stream and the process that produces it, I can find the candidate entries and tell you whether they are absolute or mirror entries.

Approach: I used the current EUR-Lex consolidation of the European List of Waste (Decision 2000/532/EC) and the European Commission's environment pages, including the battery amending Annex. The Annex's introductory instructions and the 2018 classification notice could not be opened on EUR-Lex this time.

Q.03