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16 06 01* Lead batteries

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: “lead batteries”

Where it sits: chapter 16 (wastes not otherwise specified in the list), section 16 06 (batteries and accumulators).

In plain English

Lead batteries, such as car batteries.

Read our guide: lead batteries →

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 06

16 06 02* Ni-Cd batteries Hazardous
16 06 03* Mercury-containing batteries Hazardous
16 06 04 Alkaline batteries (except 16 06 03) Not hazardous
16 06 05 Other batteries and accumulators Not hazardous
16 06 06* Separately collected electrolyte from batteries and accumulators 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.