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16 01 04* End-of-life vehicles

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

Hazardous Absolute hazardous entry

Official description: “end-of-life vehicles”

Where it sits: chapter 16 (wastes not otherwise specified in the list), section 16 01 (end-of-life vehicles from different means of transport (including off-road machinery) and wastes from dismantling of end-of-life vehicles and vehicle maintenance (except 13, 14, 16 06 and 16 08)).

In plain English

Scrap vehicles that have not been depolluted.

Read our guide: end-of-life vehicles →

What the hazard status means

Waste that matches this description is always hazardous waste, whatever the amount of hazardous substances in it. You do not need to test it to decide whether it is hazardous, but you still need to know its hazardous properties to fill in the paperwork.

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 16 01

16 01 03 End-of-life tyres Not hazardous
16 01 06 End-of-life vehicles, containing neither liquids nor other hazardous components Not hazardous
16 01 07* Oil filters Hazardous
16 01 08* Components containing mercury Hazardous
16 01 09* Components containing PCBs Hazardous
16 01 10* Explosive components (for example air bags) Hazardous
16 01 11* Brake pads containing asbestos Hazardous
16 01 12 Brake pads other than those mentioned in 16 01 11 Not hazardous
16 01 13* Brake fluids Hazardous
16 01 14* Antifreeze fluids containing hazardous substances Hazardous
16 01 15 Antifreeze fluids other than those mentioned in 16 01 14 Not hazardous
16 01 16 Tanks for liquefied gas Not hazardous
16 01 17 Ferrous metal Not hazardous
16 01 18 Non-ferrous metal Not hazardous
16 01 19 Plastic Not hazardous
16 01 20 Glass Not hazardous
16 01 21* Hazardous components other than those mentioned in 16 01 07 to 16 01 11 and 16 01 13 and 16 01 14 Hazardous
16 01 22 Components not otherwise specified Not hazardous
16 01 99 Wastes not otherwise specified 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.