European Waste Catalouge and Harmonised Termonology for Hazardous Waste

The European Waste Catalouge (EWC), also called the European List of Waste (LoW), contains useful phrases or categories of danger which help to classify waste requiring monitoring within the EU. The EWC acts as a common, non-exhaustive list and, as such, is reviewed and, if necessary, updated on a regularly base taking into account the current results of the research. For the purpose of national implementation of EWC the Waste Catalogue Ordinance (German designation: AVV) came into force in 2001. This categorisation applies for § 41 of the Recycling and Waste Management Act. The examination of a waste type mainly concentrates on its source but also includes details of the main material properties contained in the Savety Data Sheet.

What at first sounds like dry theory, has now become inconceivable. But, to what extent does the European Waste Catalouge affect you as manufacturer, importer and distributor of hazardous substances?

Is EWC to serve only as a waste documentation tool? Quite the contrary! Practical experience confirms: the European Waste Catalouge is more than just a list of phrases and could well prove challenging for non-experts. A proper handling of EWC is important for manufacturer, importer and distributor of substance or a mixture because they are obliged to provide the latest Safety Data Sheet without being asked. A correct Savety Data Sheet shall be considered correct when section 13 contains the obligatory information on the disposal (for example product residues or contaminated packaging). Some important entries in the European Waste Catalouge, however, are only comprehensible in combination. Here we can help you - in many ways:

• We provide all combinations in order to make your documents self-explanatory.
• For accountable waste we will set a flag, so that your software can easily give an appropriate indication.  
• The abbreviation MFSU (manufacture, formulation, supply and use) is also identified with a flag. This allows an explanation in text as well as an integration in the list of abbreviations in Section 16 of the Safety Data Sheet.

Thus you will receive a library prepared for practical application and updated through constant monitoring by Qualisys.