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16 06 04 Alkaline batteries (except 16 06 03)

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

Not hazardous Absolute non-hazardous entry

Official description: “alkaline batteries (except 16 06 03)”

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

In plain English

Alkaline batteries (other than mercury-containing ones), such as many AA and AAA batteries.

Read our guide: alkaline batteries →

What the hazard status means

Waste that matches this description is not hazardous waste. Check that nothing hazardous has been mixed in: a load that contains hazardous waste needs a different code.

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 01* Lead batteries Hazardous
16 06 02* Ni-Cd batteries Hazardous
16 06 03* Mercury-containing batteries 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.