Classification

What is an EWC code?

A practical introduction to European Waste Catalogue codes and why classification is foundational to waste records.


EWC codes are six-digit waste classification codes. The number matters—but so does the evidence, process and judgement behind choosing it.

DTS Works Knowledge•9 min read


You will hear them called EWC codes, List of Waste codes or simply LoW codes. In everyday waste operations, those names often point to the same six-digit classification system. “EWC” comes from European Waste Catalogue; current UK technical guidance generally uses List of Waste terminology.

The code is not just an administrative label. It describes a waste type by reference to its source or the activity that produced it, and it helps carry classification into transfer records, consignment processes, permits and digital waste tracking.

The short answer

An EWC or LoW code is a six-digit code used to identify a type of waste. An asterisk marks a hazardous entry—but selecting the right entry can require more than finding a description that sounds familiar.

How the six digits work

The List of Waste is arranged as a hierarchy. The code appears as three pairs of digits:

17 → chapter
05 → sub-chapter
03 → specific waste entry

The first pair identifies a broad chapter, usually connected to the source or sector. The second narrows that to a process or group. The final pair identifies the specific entry. That hierarchy is why classification should start with how the waste arose, not with a search for a convenient-sounding material name.

The list contains 20 chapters. Some concern particular producing activities; others cover categories such as packaging, oils or municipal wastes. Entries ending in 99 mean waste not otherwise specified within that sub-chapter. They are not a general escape hatch. The more specific applicable entry should be used.

What does the asterisk mean?

An asterisk after a code identifies a hazardous waste entry. That is the quick visual signal. But it does not tell you which route led to the entry.

Absolute hazardous entries

These entries are hazardous without needing a concentration-based assessment to decide between a hazardous and non-hazardous partner entry.

Absolute non-hazardous entries

These entries are non-hazardous under the List of Waste classification. That does not remove every other legal or operational control that may apply to the material.

Mirror entries

A mirror pair offers a hazardous and a non-hazardous entry for waste from the same source or process. The appropriate code depends on whether the waste contains relevant hazardous substances and displays hazardous properties under the assessment framework in WM3.

This is where “just pick the code” stops working. A mirror entry can require knowledge of composition, concentrations, hazard classifications and supporting evidence.

A practical classification route

  1. Describe the waste and its source. What activity produced it? What is it made of? Has it been mixed or treated?

  2. Work through the List of Waste hierarchy.Start with the process-led chapters and follow the legal instructions for choosing an entry.

  3. Identify the entry type. Is it absolute hazardous, absolute non-hazardous or part of a mirror pair?

  4. Assess where required. For a mirror entry, use current composition data, chemical classification and, where appropriate, testing to assess hazardous properties under WM3.

  5. Record the basis. Keep enough information to explain why the code and hazardous status were selected.

Why the correct code matters

The code affects what happens next. It may interact with whether a carrier can transport the waste, whether a site is authorised to receive it, the controls applied to its movement, and how it is reported. A plausible but wrong code can therefore create a chain of bad data.

Permit context matters too. A permit does not simply say that a site “takes waste”. Its conditions and waste lists define what the operator is authorised to accept. The movement record and the receiving site’s authorisation need to make sense together.

Where EWC codes enter digital waste tracking

The new digital waste tracking arrangements do not make classification disappear. They make the chosen classification easier to transmit, compare and retain. For receiving sites, official guidance currently says the report-receipt service becomes mandatory in England from October 2026, with published timings differing for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A digital field can require six digits. It cannot, by itself, prove that those six digits were selected correctly. Good software should therefore validate format and known relationships while preserving the operator’s evidence and responsibility for the classification.

The useful distinction

The code is the output of classification. It is not a substitute for classification.

That distinction shapes DTS Works. The system should make it easier to capture the code, test it against the rest of the movement, and retain the reasoning available to the operator. It should not create false certainty where the waste needs a proper technical assessment.

Official sources and further reading

Guidance and service specifications change. Links were checked during preparation in 2026.