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18 01 01 Sharps (except 18 01 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: “sharps (except 18 01 03)”

Where it sits: chapter 18 (wastes from human or animal health care and/or related research (except kitchen and restaurant wastes not arising from immediate health care)), section 18 01 (wastes from natal care, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease in humans).

In plain English

Sharps from human healthcare that are not infectious (infectious sharps use 18 01 03).

Read our guide: sharps →

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 18 01

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.