Home › Waste codes › Chapter 18

18 01 09 Medicines other than those mentioned in 18 01 08

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

Not hazardous Mirror entry (non-hazardous side)

Official description: “medicines other than those mentioned in 18 01 08”

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

Other medicines from human healthcare.

Read our guide: medicines (healthcare) →

What the hazard status means

This is one half of a “mirror” pair. You can only use this non-hazardous code once you have assessed the waste and shown it does not contain hazardous substances above the thresholds and has no hazardous properties. If you are not sure, it must be treated as hazardous.

Its mirror entry

18 01 08* Cytotoxic and cytostatic medicines Hazardous

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.