EWC Code
Wood, glass and plastic
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume
25 million tonnes/year EU C&D wood, glass and plastic
Valorisation Range
€1.4B secondary materials market
Primary Route
Material recycling (sorting and reprocessing)
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Get contacts for EWC 17 02EWC 17 02 covers wood (17 02 01), glass (17 02 02) and plastic (17 02 03) from construction and demolition activities, and their hazardous variants: 17 02 04* (glass, plastic and wood containing or contaminated with dangerous substances). Treated timber from demolition may be classified hazardous if creosote, CCA (chromated copper arsenate) or other wood preservative contamination is confirmed.
Construction and demolition wood comprises structural timber, flooring, joinery, shuttering and formwork. Glass includes flat glass from windows and façades, and glass wool insulation offcuts. Plastic covers pipes, cables, profiles, membranes and insulation boards. Mixed contaminated fractions from demolition typically require sorting before classification.
CCA-treated timber (green-tinted, common in pre-1999 construction) is classified as hazardous waste 17 02 04* due to arsenic and chromium content. Creosote-treated railway sleepers and utility poles similarly classified hazardous. EU-wide ban on CCA in consumer applications since 2006 under Biocidal Products Regulation means newer construction timber typically non-hazardous.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 17 02, ranked by economic value and market depth. Material recycling (sorting and reprocessing) is the primary route.
Sorted clean wood chipped for particle board or biomass fuel. Clean flat glass cullet remolten for new glass production. Sorted plastic granulated for recycled plastic products. Sorting quality determines recyclate market acceptance and value.
Non-recyclable wood waste (mixed, contaminated or small fractions) used as biomass fuel in wood chip boilers or co-fired in cement kilns. Treated wood requires specialised co-incineration under IED Chapter IV with appropriate emission controls.
Inert glass and clean plastic rubble landfilled at inert waste facilities. Mixed contaminated C&D materials to non-hazardous landfill. CCA timber and other hazardous treated wood to hazardous landfill under Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC.
These are the established routes for EWC 17 02. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Clean demolition wood chips as secondary raw material for particle board
Clean flat glass cullet accepted as secondary raw material for glass furnace
Sorted clean plastic from C&D for granulation and recycled plastic products
C&D material recycling depots sorting wood, glass and plastic for secondary markets
Source: NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat, 2008
Key legislative frameworks governing EWC 17 02 classification, transport, and treatment.
CCA (chromated copper arsenate) wood preservative restricted under REACH Annex XVII. Demolition timber from pre-2006 construction must be assessed for CCA treatment (green colour indicator, or XRF testing). CCA-treated waste classified hazardous (17 02 04*); requires specialist contractor and hazardous landfill.
EU End-of-Waste Regulation for glass cullet (EU 1179/2012) specifies criteria for glass cullet ceasing to be waste. Requires input acceptance criteria, processing to specification, glass content ≥98%, absence of prohibited materials. Meeting standard enables unrestricted supply to glass manufacturers.
EU C&D waste recycling target: 70% by weight of non-hazardous C&D waste reused, recycled or recovered by 2020 under WFD Art. 11(2)(b). Wood, glass and plastic recovery contributes to Member State reporting. Producers increasingly required to demonstrate recyclability in EPDs.
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Sectors that valorise EWC 17 02 as an input material or secondary raw material.
Waste-stream pages and resources connected to EWC 17 02 valorisation.
Explore EU waste flows — Waste Atlas
Visualise 17 years of E-PRTR industrial facility data. See how EWC 17 02 and related waste streams flow across European industries and sectors.
Source: EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC · NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat 2008
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