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Last updated: July 8, 2019

List of Waste

BACKGROUND

The classification of waste is based on:

The List of Waste (LoW) provides an EU-wide common terminology for waste classification to ease waste management, including for hazardous waste. The assignment of LoW codes serves in a broad variety of activities, including the transport of waste, installation permits (which often refer also to specific waste codes), or as a basis for waste statistics.

According to Decision 2000/532/EC, the LoW should be revised regularly on the basis of new knowledge and, in particular, of research results. The last amendment is Commission Decision 2014/955/EU, which followed a specific study on the review of the European LoW.

The Commission Guidance on the classification of waste

On the 9th of April 2018, the Commission published technical guidance on the classification of waste (2018/C 124/01), as announced in the Commission’s January 2018 Communication on options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation.

The document provides guidance to national authorities, including local authorities, and businesses (e.g. for permitting issues) on the correct interpretation and application of EU legislation on the classification of waste. It covers a comprehensive overview of relevant EU legislation, gives examples of waste types for which classification is considered difficult by stakeholders, and provides step-by-step information on how to assess whether waste displays hazardous properties and on how to classify it.  The document is available in all EU official languages.

NEXT STEPS

 Not certain that the European Commission will review the list of waste. 

TIMELINE

  • 23 January 2019: Exchange with Malgorzata Golebiewska (DG ENV). 
    • FEAD question: When will you start working on the delegated acts establishing and reviewing a list of waste (WFD, art. 7.1)?
    • DG ENV’s answer: “I told Aurore that we have not yet started working on this and in fact we are not planning on doing this review in the near future. This point in Article 7 simply gives the Commission the empowerment to do it via a delegated act in case there is a decision to review the list of waste.”

DOCUMENTS

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