EWC code for general waste
General mixed waste from a business, the everyday bin, is almost always coded 20 03 01. It is non-hazardous, so a waste transfer note is all you need. Here is when that code is right, and the few cases where it is not.
Mixed municipal waste
When 20 03 01 is the right code
Chapter 20 of the List of Waste covers municipal waste, which is household waste and the similar commercial and industrial waste that offices, shops and most businesses produce. 20 03 01 is the catch-all for the mixed waste left in a general bin once recyclables and anything hazardous have been taken out.
Because it is non-hazardous, you do not need a hazardous waste consignment note. A waste transfer note is enough. You must still use a registered carrier and keep the paperwork for at least two years.
When it is not 20 03 01
General waste only stays general while it is genuinely mixed and non-hazardous. Pull out anything that has its own rules:
- Recyclables collected separately get their own codes. Mixed packaging is 15 01 06 and food waste is 20 01 08.
- Hazardous items such as fluorescent tubes (20 01 21*), batteries (20 01 33*), aerosols and electricals must be separated and coded as hazardous.
- Construction and demolition waste sits in chapter 17, not 20, even when it looks like general rubble.
Common mistake: tipping electricals, batteries or part-full chemical containers into the general bin. That turns a clean 20 03 01 load into a hazardous one and breaks your duty of care. Separate them first.