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17 04 09* Metal waste contaminated with hazardous substances

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: “metal waste contaminated with hazardous substances”

Where it sits: chapter 17 (construction and demolition wastes (including excavated soil from contaminated sites)), section 17 04 (metals (including their alloys)).

In plain English

Metal waste from building work that is contaminated with hazardous substances.

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 17 04

17 04 01 Copper, bronze, brass Not hazardous
17 04 02 Aluminium Not hazardous
17 04 03 Lead Not hazardous
17 04 04 Zinc Not hazardous
17 04 05 Iron and steel Not hazardous
17 04 06 Tin Not hazardous
17 04 07 Mixed metals Not hazardous
17 04 10* Cables containing oil, coal tar and other hazardous substances Hazardous
17 04 11 Cables other than those mentioned in 17 04 10 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.