17 04 05 iron and steel

This is a code under chapter 17 04 — Metals (including their alloys) of the UK European Waste Catalogue, used on waste transfer notes to classify the type of waste being transferred.

17 04 05 is ferrous metal arising from building work: structural sections, reinforcement bar, pipework, sheet, railings and fixings. It is one of the few construction streams with a value that survives the skip, which is why segregating it is usually worth the space it takes.

The code is scoped against 17 04 09, metal waste contaminated with hazardous substances, so metal that carries a contaminant — rather than metal that is simply dirty or rusty — is classified there instead. Where several metals arrive together and are not separated, 17 04 07 mixed metals is the entry that fits.

Where this waste usually comes from

Demolition and structural steel removal
Strip-out of pipework, ductwork and railings
Fabrication offcuts on site

The common mistake with 17 04 05

Letting metal go out in a mixed construction skip under 17 09 04. It is recoverable as its own stream, and once it is mixed the load is coded for what it has become rather than what it was.

Code: 17 04 05
Chapter: 17 04
Description: iron and steel
Chapter description: Metals (including their alloys)
Entry type: Mirror non-hazardous — part of a mirror pair. Whether this entry applies depends on a WM3 assessment of the substances present.
Classification: Non-hazardous. A standard Waste Transfer Note is required under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011.

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Compliance & guidance

Background reading for non-hazardous waste under UK regulations.

Other codes in chapter 17 04

Metals (including their alloys)

Full list of EWC codes — all 20 chapters →