Home › Waste codes › Chapter 15

15 02 02* Absorbents, filter materials (including oil filters not otherwise specified), wiping cloths, protective clothing contaminated by hazardous substances

EWC / List of Waste code · Last checked 21 October 2026 · Applies across the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)

Hazardous Mirror entry (hazardous side)

Official description: “absorbents, filter materials (including oil filters not otherwise specified), wiping cloths, protective clothing contaminated by hazardous substances”

Where it sits: chapter 15 (waste packaging; absorbents, wiping cloths, filter materials and protective clothing not otherwise specified), section 15 02 (absorbents, filter materials, wiping cloths and protective clothing).

In plain English

Absorbents, filters, wiping cloths and protective clothing contaminated by hazardous substances, for example oily rags.

What the hazard status means

This is one half of a “mirror” pair. Use this hazardous code if the waste contains hazardous substances above the thresholds, or has hazardous properties. You must assess the waste first, usually by knowing exactly what it is made of or by sampling and testing it.

Its mirror entry

15 02 03 Absorbents, filter materials, wiping cloths and protective clothing other than those mentioned in 15 02 02 Not hazardous

Using this code

Write the code on the paperwork when waste is passed on: a waste transfer note for non-hazardous waste, or a consignment note for hazardous waste (called special waste in Scotland).
Choose the code from where the waste came from first (the chapter), then what it is. If a load is mixed, you may need more than one code.
The waste must go to a site whose permit allows that code. A registered carrier can tell you which codes they accept: check a waste carrier.
Businesses have a duty of care to describe their waste correctly.

Other codes in section 15 02

15 02 03 Absorbents, filter materials, wiping cloths and protective clothing other than those mentioned in 15 02 02 Not hazardous

This page explains the code in plain English. It is not a classification of your waste. The official List of Waste and the classification guidance decide which code applies, and you are responsible for the code you use.