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18 01 03* Wastes whose collection and disposal is subject to special requirements in order to prevent infection

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: “wastes whose collection and disposal is subject to special requirements in order to prevent infection”

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

Waste from human healthcare that must be collected and disposed of in a special way to prevent infection.

Read our guide: infectious clinical waste →

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 18 01

18 01 01 Sharps (except 18 01 03) Not hazardous
18 01 02 Body parts and organs including blood bags and blood preserves (except 18 01 03) Not hazardous
18 01 04 Wastes whose collection and disposal is not subject to special requirements in order to prevent infection (for example dressings, plaster casts, linen, disposable clothing, diapers) Not hazardous
18 01 06* Chemicals consisting of or containing hazardous substances Hazardous
18 01 07 Chemicals other than those mentioned in 18 01 06 Not hazardous
18 01 08* Cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines Hazardous
18 01 09 Medicines other than those mentioned in 18 01 08 Not hazardous
18 01 10* Amalgam waste from dental care 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.