§2.1.2 European List of Waste (LoW)

The LoW provides further provisions for the assessment of hazardous properties and the classification of waste. It provides the list of wastes, categorised into chapters, sub-chapters and entries. The entries in the LoW can be categorised into ‘absolute hazardous entries’, ‘absolute non-hazardous entries’ and ‘mirror entries’. Box 3: The European List of Waste Commission Decision 2000/532/EC (11) establishes the European List of Waste (LoW). The LoW is the key document for classification of waste. A consolidated version of the LoW has existed since 2000 and has been revised by Commission Decision 2014/955/EU (12), in order to adapt the LoW to scientific progress and align it with developments in chemicals legislation. As EU Decision, the LoW is binding in its entirety and addressed to the Member States and does not require transposition. Some Member States published guidance documents reflecting the LoW to help businesses and authorities implementing the LoW within the Member State, especially in cases when Member States make use of Article 7 (2) or (3), see Box 2 above. Classification according to the LoW firstly means that each waste is to be classified by a six digit number (see in detail Annex 1). Full and compliant classification enables businesses and competent authorities for a decision in terms of the question whether the waste is hazardous or not (see in detail 2.3.1). In this respect, the LoW recognises three types of entries: — ‘Absolute hazardous entries’: Wastes which are assigned to absolute hazardous entries cannot be allocated to non-hazardous entries and are hazardous without any further assessment; — ‘Absolute non-hazardous entries’: Wastes which are assigned to absolute non-hazardous entries cannot be allocated to hazardous entries and are non-hazardous without any further assessment; — ‘Mirror entries’, where waste from the same source might under the LoW be allocated to a hazardous entry or to a non-hazardous entry depending on the specific case and on the composition of the waste.

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