EWC codes explained: how to find the right one
What an EWC code is, how the six digits are built, how the asterisk flags hazardous waste, and how to find the right code for your load.
Every load of waste you move needs a code. It is called an EWC code, and it is the line on the consignment note that trips people up most. Get it wrong and the whole note can be wrong. Here is what the code is, how it is built, and how to find the right one.
What is an EWC code?
An EWC code, short for European Waste Catalogue, is the standard code that says what a waste is. In the UK it now comes from the List of Wastes. Every type of waste has one, and it follows the load from the producer to the site that takes it, so everyone treats the waste the same way. The code is six digits long.
How the six digits are built
The six digits come in three pairs. The first pair is the industry or process that made the waste. The middle pair narrows it down. The last pair is the specific waste. Take 13 02 05 with a star on the end. The 13 says it is an oil waste. The 02 narrows it to engine, gear and lubricating oils. The 05 is the exact entry. The star means it is hazardous.
The star: how you spot hazardous waste
Any code that ends in an asterisk is hazardous. That one mark changes everything: hazardous waste needs a consignment note, a registered carrier and a permitted site. If the code has a star, you are not dealing with ordinary waste.
Mirror entries, where it gets tricky
Some wastes have a pair of codes, one hazardous and one not. These are called mirror entries. Which one applies depends on what is actually in the waste, not which is easier. Insulation material, for example, is 17 06 03 with a star if it holds hazardous substances, or 17 06 04 if it does not. You cannot pick the non-hazardous code just to save paperwork. You have to assess the waste.
How to find the right code
Start from where the waste came from, not what it looks like. Work out the activity that produced it, then use the supplier's safety data sheet and the government's classification guidance to pin down the code. Our free EWC code checker lets you search by waste type or by code and see straight away whether it is hazardous and which paperwork you need. We also walk through where the code goes on the note in our guide to filling out a consignment note.
Where the code goes on the note
On a hazardous waste consignment note the EWC code sits in the waste description, Part B, and it has to match the actual waste in the load. For more on the slips that catch carriers out, see our guide to common mistakes waste carriers make.
The code is small but it sets the tone for the whole note. Get the six digits right, spot the star, and the rest of the job is straightforward.