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20 02 01 Biodegradable waste

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: “biodegradable waste”

Where it sits: chapter 20 (municipal wastes (household waste and similar commercial, industrial and institutional wastes) including separately collected fractions), section 20 02 (garden and park wastes (including cemetery waste)).

In plain English

Biodegradable garden waste such as grass, leaves, hedge cuttings and branches.

Read our guide: garden waste →

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 20 02

20 02 02 Soil and stones Not hazardous
20 02 03 Other non-biodegradable wastes 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.