Which EWC code applies to mixed construction and demolition waste?
A mixed load of construction and demolition waste with nothing hazardous in it is recorded under EWC code 17 09 04. If anything in the skip contains dangerous substances, the entry becomes 17 09 03* and the load stops being an ordinary transfer note job.
The short answer, and the one thing that changes it
Bricks, broken concrete, timber, packaging and plasterboard offcuts tipped into one skip off a building job, with nothing hazardous among them, sit under 17 09 04: mixed construction and demolition wastes other than those mentioned in 17 09 01, 17 09 02 and 17 09 03.
Chapter 17 of the List of Waste is construction and demolition waste. Section 17 09 is where mixed loads land, and it holds four entries:
- 17 09 01*, construction and demolition waste containing mercury
- 17 09 02*, construction and demolition waste containing PCBs, the old sealants, resin floorings, sealed glazing units and capacitors
- 17 09 03*, other construction and demolition waste, including mixed waste, containing dangerous substances
- 17 09 04, mixed construction and demolition waste that is none of the above
17 09 04 is a decision, not a default
Read 17 09 04 as "mixed, and checked". It is the non-hazardous half of a pair, and it only applies once you have satisfied yourself that nothing in the load pushes it into 17 09 03*. That judgement rests on where the waste came from and what the producer has told you, which is why the description on the ticket matters as much as the six digits.
Questions
What is the EWC code for mixed construction and demolition waste?
17 09 04, where the load is genuinely mixed and nothing in it is hazardous. The full entry reads "mixed construction and demolition wastes other than those mentioned in 17 09 01, 17 09 02 and 17 09 03". If anything in the skip carries dangerous substances, the right entry is 17 09 03* instead and the load is hazardous waste. So the code follows what is actually in the skip, not the job it came off.
When should I use 17 09 03* rather than 17 09 04?
When the mixed load contains dangerous substances. Typical cases a yard sees are tar bound road planings, timber treated with preservative, paint and solvent residues, and hardcore off a fuel contaminated site. Mercury bearing and PCB bearing loads have their own entries, 17 09 01* and 17 09 02*, so check those before you reach for 17 09 03*. The Environment Agency's WM3 technical guidance is the reference for making that call, and a hazardous load moves on a consignment note rather than an ordinary transfer note.
What does the asterisk on an EWC code mean?
It marks a hazardous entry in the List of Waste. 17 09 03* and 17 09 04 are a mirror pair, two codes for the same sort of material where the assessment of the load decides which one you use. Write the asterisk on the note, because dropping it turns a hazardous record into a non-hazardous one. In Skiplog the consignment note warning is triggered by an asterisk at the end of the code, so a star put somewhere else, or a code typed as 170903, is recorded as ordinary waste. There is a separate page on this site about absolute hazardous entries if you need the longer version.
Should I split the load into separate codes instead of using one mixed code?
If the load is actually segregated, a specific code is a better record than a catch-all. Separated rubble goes under 17 01 07, mixtures of concrete, bricks, tiles and ceramics; clean timber under 17 02 01; metal under 17 04 05; soil and stones under 17 05 04. Use 17 09 04 for loads that cannot sensibly be split on the ticket. Splitting where you can also makes the dashboard's tonnage by waste type far more useful when you come to look at a quarter.
What if there is asbestos in the skip?
Then it is not 17 09 04. Asbestos sits in section 17 06, with 17 06 05* covering construction materials containing asbestos, and that entry is hazardous. It carries the asterisk, it moves on a hazardous waste consignment note rather than a transfer note, and your permit will say whether you can accept it at all. Skiplog's own waste list offers asbestos, bonded, and fills 17 06 05 without its asterisk, which is one more reason to read the code before you save, and Skiplog does not produce consignment notes. Stop the load and follow your site's procedure before anything is tipped or weighed.
Where does plasterboard fit?
Gypsum has its own entries in section 17 08, with 17 08 02 for gypsum based construction materials that are not contaminated with dangerous substances. If your site takes plasterboard as a separate stream, record it separately under that code. If offcuts arrive buried in a mixed skip and you handle the whole skip as one load, 17 09 04 describes what you received. Your permit and your onward outlet usually decide which of the two it is.
Who decides the code, the carrier or the receiving site?
The waste has to be described on the transfer note and both sides sign it, so both sides own the description. In practice the code arrives with the load, written by the producer or the carrier. A receiving site that writes down a code it can see is wrong has a duty of care problem of its own, so it is worth a look in the skip before the ticket is signed. If the skip and the paperwork disagree, settle it at the gate rather than after tipping.
Does Skiplog pick the EWC code for me?
It fills one in from the description you pick, and from there the code is yours to overtype. The form checks the pair and flags many mismatches, with an error asking you to change the description. Fixing it that way selects "Something else" and clears both boxes, so the code has to be typed in again. The check is not a guarantee either: a code typed over a picked description has been saved with no warning and carried onto the CSV that way. Two habits are worth having at the gate. A new note opens on the first entry in the list, mixed skip waste and 17 09 04, so treat what is on screen as a starting point. The list's own mixed construction and demolition entry fills 17 09 03 without its asterisk, so add the star yourself and put it last. The correction screen is plainer than the capture screen, with free text waste, no pairing check and no consignment note warning. The quarterly return do