§1.1 Background

The classification of waste as hazardous or non-hazardous, and, in particular, understanding when and under what circumstances waste is to be considered hazardous is a crucial decision in the entire chain of waste management from generation to final treatment. When a waste is correctly classified as hazardous, a number of important obligations are triggered, for instance on labelling and packaging, but also in terms of the available compliant treatment. The EU has learned lessons from the application of waste legislation and has taken the scientific and economic progress into account when the framework for classification of waste and the list of properties that render waste hazardous was reviewed in 2014 and in 2017. This update of legislation, which also takes into consideration the fundamental changes in EU chemicals legislation during the past years, again sets out challenges for authorities and industry. As also underlined in the Commission Communication on options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation (COM(2018) 32 final), the way rules on classification of waste are implemented and enforced has important consequences on future waste management choices, such as feasibility and economic viability of collection, recycling method or the choice between recycling and disposal. Such discrepancies may have an impact upon the uptake of secondary raw materials. This guidance document on waste classification is a first tool suggested in the Communication to assist waste operators and competent authorities to have a common approach to waste characterisation and classification, thus minimising such discrepancies and impacts.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07