Waste plastics (except packaging)
02 01 04 is a UK List of Wastes (EWC) classification code. Record this exact code on the Waste Transfer Note whenever the waste is collected or transferred.
This is classed as non-hazardous waste. It still needs a Waste Transfer Note when transferred, and can only go to a site authorised to accept it. If the waste is contaminated with dangerous substances a different, hazardous code may apply.
Other codes in sub-chapter 02 01: Wastes from agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, hunting and fishing
This free tool lists the complete UK List of Wastes. It is for reference — always confirm the correct code before transferring waste. For the rules on classifying and assessing hazardous waste, see the official gov.uk waste classification guidance. Always confirm the correct code before transferring waste.
What is an EWC code?
An EWC code (European Waste Catalogue code, also called a List of Wastes or LoW code) is the six-digit reference used across the UK and EU to classify a type of waste. Every controlled-waste transfer — from a single skip to a full commercial collection — must record the correct code on its Waste Transfer Note.
The six digits work in three pairs. The first pair is the chapter (the industry or source the waste came from), the second pair narrows it to a sub-chapter, and the third pair identifies the specific waste type. A code ending in an asterisk (*) is hazardous and carries extra handling, carrier and documentation duties.
Some codes are absolute, which means the waste is hazardous (or not) whatever happens to be in the particular load. Others are mirror entries, and those come in pairs: one code for the waste when it contains dangerous substances, one for the same waste when it does not. Which half of the pair applies is settled by assessing what is in the load against the concentration limits in the government's WM3 guidance, so the code on its own does not answer it.
From October 2027, carriers, brokers and dealers must record waste movements digitally under DEFRA's Digital Waste Tracking service, and an accurate EWC code is the backbone of every record.
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CarrierNote is on the GOV.UK software provider list, connected to DEFRA's Digital Waste Tracking service. Receiving sites are in scope from October 2026 and carriers from October 2027, and you can be recording to DEFRA's standard from your first load, whenever you start.