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What is the EWC？

Posted Date:2025/4/1 1

The EWC is a list of waste types, established by the European Commission Decision 2000/532/EC, which categorises wastes based on a combination of what they are, and the process or activity that produces them. It provides a standard framework for the comparison of waste data (statistics) across all member states.

The EWC is divided into 20 chapters, most of which are industry-based, although some are based on materials and processes. Individual waste types are assigned a six-digit code: the first two digits specify the chapter, the next two specify the subchapter, and the last two are specific to the waste type.

Hazardous (special) wastes are signified by entries where the six-digit EWC code is marked by an asterisk (*). Hazardous waste entries can also have a non-hazardous ‘mirror entry’. These will appear consecutively in the list, but one will be marked with an asterisk (*), normally with reference to ‘containing hazardous substances’, for example:

17 05 03* Soil and stones containing hazardous substances

17 05 04 Soil and stones other than those mentioned in 17 05 03