EWC chapter 19: waste management and treatment facility codes explained
Last updated 5 October 2026
In short
EWC chapter 19 covers wastes from waste management facilities, off-site waste water treatment plants and water preparation. It contains 99 six-digit codes across 13 subcategories (19 01 to 19 13), of which 40 are hazardous. The codes are used by incinerators, composting and anaerobic digestion plants, landfill sites, sewage treatment works, materials recovery facilities and soil-remediation contractors.
EWC chapter 19 is the classification chapter for the waste that waste management facilities produce themselves — the ash from incinerators, the sludge from sewage works, leachate from landfill, digestate from biogas plants, and reject fractions from sorting and recycling operations. Understanding these codes is essential for any permitted site that must record waste receipts under Digital Waste Tracking.
What is EWC chapter 19?
The chapter exists because waste treatment processes generate their own waste streams. An incinerator produces ash and flue-gas residues; a composting facility produces non-compostable fractions; a landfill produces leachate; a water treatment works produces sludge. Chapter 19 captures all of these secondary waste streams so they can be accurately classified, tracked and managed under the duty-of-care regime.
What are the 13 subcategories in EWC chapter 19?
| Subcategory | Description | Total codes | Hazardous codes | Typical facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 01 | Wastes from incineration or pyrolysis of waste | 15 | 8 | Energy-from-waste plants, clinical waste incinerators, pyrolysis units |
| 19 02 | Wastes from physico/chemical treatments of waste | 10 | 6 | Hazardous waste treatment facilities, neutralisation & dechromatation plants |
| 19 03 | Stabilised/solidified wastes | 5 | 3 | Hazardous waste solidification/stabilisation plants |
| 19 04 | Vitrified waste and wastes from vitrification | 4 | 2 | High-temperature vitrification plants (nuclear & industrial residues) |
| 19 05 | Wastes from aerobic treatment of solid wastes | 4 | 0 | In-vessel composting facilities, windrow composting sites |
| 19 06 | Wastes from anaerobic treatment of waste | 5 | 0 | Anaerobic digestion plants, biogas facilities treating food & municipal waste |
| 19 07 | Landfill leachate | 2 | 1 | Landfill sites (all tiers) |
| 19 08 | Wastes from waste water treatment plants not otherwise specified | 13 | 6 | Sewage treatment works, industrial effluent treatment plants |
| 19 09 | Wastes from preparation of water for human consumption or industrial use | 7 | 0 | Water treatment works, drinking-water utilities, industrial water treatment |
| 19 10 | Wastes from shredding of metal-containing wastes | 6 | 2 | Vehicle shredders (ASR), WEEE shredders, metal-shredding facilities |
| 19 11 | Wastes from oil regeneration | 8 | 6 | Used-oil re-refineries, oil regeneration plants |
| 19 12 | Wastes from mechanical treatment of waste | 12 | 2 | Materials recovery facilities (MRFs), transfer stations, sorting plants |
| 19 13 | Wastes from soil and groundwater remediation | 8 | 4 | Contaminated land contractors, groundwater treatment systems |
What are the most commonly used EWC chapter 19 codes?
| EWC code | Description | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| 19 08 05 | Sludges from treatment of urban waste water | Sewage treatment works — primary and secondary sludge from municipal wastewater |
| 19 06 04 | Digestate from anaerobic treatment of municipal waste | AD plants processing food waste and household organic fractions |
| 19 07 02* | Landfill leachate containing hazardous substances | Leachate from landfill cells accepting hazardous or mixed waste |
| 19 07 03 | Landfill leachate (non-hazardous) | Leachate from non-hazardous landfill cells after assessment |
| 19 01 12 | Bottom ash and slag (non-hazardous) | Incinerator bottom ash (IBA) not containing hazardous substances |
| 19 01 11* | Bottom ash and slag containing hazardous substances | IBA testing positive for hazardous properties (HP1–HP15) |
| 19 12 10 | Combustible waste (refuse-derived fuel) | RDF or SRF produced by MRF, waste-processing or pre-treatment facility |
| 19 12 12 | Other wastes from mechanical treatment of waste (non-hazardous) | Residual rejects from MRF, sorting line or transfer station |
| 19 12 11* | Other wastes from mechanical treatment containing hazardous substances | Sorting residues with hazardous contamination — requires testing |
| 19 08 01 | Screenings | Coarse screenings removed at inlet works of a sewage treatment plant |
| 19 05 01 | Non-composted fraction of municipal and similar wastes | Residual rejects from in-vessel or windrow composting of MSW |
| 19 13 01* | Solid wastes from soil remediation containing hazardous substances | Excavated contaminated soil with hazardous contamination |
How many chapter 19 codes are hazardous?
40 of the 99 codes in EWC chapter 19 are hazardous (*). Hazardous chapter 19 waste requires a hazardous waste consignment note, an upper-tier registered waste carrier, and records kept for at least 3 years. Non-hazardous chapter 19 waste uses a standard waste transfer note retained for at least 2 years.
Many subcategories use “mirror entry” pairs: one hazardous code (with *) and one non-hazardous code for the same type of waste, where the correct code depends on testing for hazardous properties. For example, landfill leachate can be either 19 07 02* or 19 07 03 depending on whether it is found to contain hazardous substances. Similarly, bottom ash from incineration is 19 01 11* or 19 01 12. Where a mirror pair exists, you cannot default to the non-hazardous code — you must assess (and in many cases test) the waste.
When should I use a “not otherwise specified” (xx 99) code?
Each chapter 19 subcategory ends with a “wastes not otherwise specified” code. These exist to capture genuinely novel or unusual waste streams that do not fit the named codes. Using a specific code (for example 19 08 05 for sewage sludge) is always preferred over the 99 fallback. The Environment Agency may challenge the use of a 99 code if a more precise classification exists, and incorrectly using 99 codes can affect how waste is tracked and reported under Digital Waste Tracking.
- Auditing the specific codes in the subcategory before using 99 is good practice.
- If you need a 99 code regularly, it may indicate that the waste description on the waste transfer note or receipt needs reviewing.
- For Digital Waste Tracking submissions, a specific six-digit code is validated at the point of submission — 99 codes are accepted where no better code applies.
Which chapter 19 subcategories matter most for Digital Waste Tracking receivers?
Under Digital Waste Tracking, waste receivers (permitted sites accepting waste) must record a Receipt of Waste for every load arriving at their site — mandatory in England and Wales since October 2026 (Northern Ireland and Scotland from January 2027). The EWC codes used in those receipts are the codes of the incoming waste — not the chapter 19 codes for the residuals the facility produces. However, treatment operators that also send waste off-site need to apply the correct chapter 19 code to each outgoing load to satisfy the duty of care.
This guide is general information about EWC waste codes, not legal advice. Verify your classification obligations against the primary sources below and, where in doubt, seek guidance from the Environment Agency, SEPA, NRW or NIEA for your nation.
Frequently asked questions
- What is EWC chapter 19?
- EWC chapter 19 covers wastes arising from waste management facilities, off-site waste water treatment plants and the preparation of water intended for human consumption or industrial use. It contains 99 codes across 13 subcategories (19 01 to 19 13), of which 40 are hazardous. Typical producers include incinerators, composting and anaerobic digestion plants, landfill sites, sewage works, materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and soil-remediation contractors.
- What EWC code is used for sewage sludge?
- Sewage sludge from the treatment of urban waste water is classified as 19 08 05 (sludges from treatment of urban waste water). This is a non-hazardous code. Industrial wastewater sludge is classified under 19 08 11* or 19 08 12 (from biological treatment) or 19 08 13* or 19 08 14 (from other treatment), depending on whether the sludge contains hazardous substances.
- What EWC code is used for landfill leachate?
- Landfill leachate is classified under subcategory 19 07. Leachate containing hazardous substances is 19 07 02*; leachate that does not contain hazardous substances is 19 07 03. Whether a leachate is hazardous depends on the waste the landfill accepts — a leachate from a non-hazardous cell may still test hazardous, so assessment is needed.
- What EWC code do I use for MRF rejects or residual waste from sorting?
- Residual waste from a materials recovery facility (MRF) or other mechanical treatment is most commonly classified as 19 12 12 (other wastes from mechanical treatment of waste, non-hazardous) or 19 12 11* if the mixture contains hazardous substances. Specific recovered fractions have their own codes: 19 12 01 for paper and cardboard, 19 12 02 for ferrous metal, 19 12 03 for non-ferrous metal, 19 12 04 for plastic and rubber, 19 12 05 for glass, and 19 12 10 for refuse-derived fuel (RDF).
- What EWC code is used for the ash from waste incineration?
- Bottom ash and slag from waste incineration is classified as 19 01 11* if it contains hazardous substances, or 19 01 12 if it does not. Fly ash is 19 01 13* (hazardous) or 19 01 14 (non-hazardous). Boiler dust is 19 01 15* or 19 01 16. These are mirror entries — the correct code depends on testing the ash for hazardous properties.
Related guides
This guide is general information from ComplyWaste, not legal advice. Always check the primary sources for your situation.