EWC Code
Sludges from on-site effluent treatment
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume (EU)
~20 Mt/year EU (slaughterhouse, meat processing, fish processing residues)
Valorisation Range
Rendered fats €400–700/t; fish meal €1,200–1,800/t; biogas from sludge ~€50/t avoided disposal
Primary Route
Rendering and animal feed / biofuel
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Get contacts for EWC 02 02 04EWC 02 02 04 is a specific sub-code under EWC 02 02 — Wastes from the preparation and processing of meat, fish and other foods of animal origin. The classification guidance below applies to this waste stream.
EWC 02 02 covers animal-origin processing residues from slaughterhouses, butcheries, meat processing plants, fish filleting factories and rendering operations. The primary streams are blood, offal, condemned material, DAF (dissolved air flotation) sludge, bristles, feathers, bones and fish processing waste. Classification under Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) 1069/2009 governs permitted uses: Category 3 material (fit for human consumption but not used) may be processed into pet food, feed ingredients, biogas or compost.
Blood is the highest-value stream — spray-dried blood meal is a premium protein source for aquafeed. Feathers are hydrolysed to feather meal. Bone meal from non-ruminant species is a phosphorus-rich soil amendment. Fish frames and offcuts from marine fish processing yield fish meal and fish oil, commanding significant commodity prices. DAF sludge — high in fat and protein — is increasingly digested for biogas rather than disposed to landfill.
The Animal By-Products Regulation creates a parallel regulatory framework that overrides EWC classification for many streams: material approved for biogas input must pass pasteurisation (70°C/60 min or equivalent) and digestate must be tested before land application. Traceability through the commercial document system (Annex VIII) is mandatory. Industrial symbiosis between slaughterhouses and biogas operators is well-established across Northern and Central Europe.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 02 02 04, ranked by economic value and market depth.
Category 3 ABP rendered to produce tallow (biodiesel feedstock, €400–600/t) and meat and bone meal (fertiliser or fuel). Regulated by approved rendering plants under ABPR. Category 1 and 2 materials require incineration or landfill after rendering.
High-fat DAF sludge and organic slaughterhouse waste co-digested in approved biogas plants meeting ABPR pasteurisation requirements. Digestate from Category 3 input applied to agricultural land as soil amendment after testing.
Category 1 and 2 material (fallen stock, specified risk material) incinerated in approved facilities under IED permit and ABPR. Ash classified as non-hazardous waste for landfill disposal.
These are the established routes for EWC 02 02 04. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Primary generator of slaughterhouse residues; also source of packaged meat waste
Fish processing waste (frames, offal) yields fish meal and fish oil
Rendering plants and biogas operators are the primary receivers of animal-origin waste
Gelatin and collagen extracted from bone and hide for pharmaceutical and food use
Rendered protein meals returned as animal feed in approved sectors
Dedicated waste-stream pages covering EWC 02 02 04 — pricing, buyer industries and valorisation routes.
Sectors that valorise EWC 02 02 04 as an input material or secondary raw material.
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