EWC Code
Bituminous mixtures, coal tar and tarred products
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume
45 million tonnes/year EU reclaimed asphalt pavement
Valorisation Range
€2.8B reclaimed asphalt market
Primary Route
RAP recycling in asphalt production
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Get contacts for EWC 17 03EWC 17 03 covers bituminous mixtures, coal tar and tarred products from construction activities. Entry 17 03 01* (bituminous mixtures containing coal tar — hazardous) distinguished from 17 03 02 (non-hazardous bituminous mixtures not containing coal tar) and 17 03 03* (coal tar and tarred products).
Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) from road milling operations constitutes the vast majority of 17 03 02 volume. RAP without coal tar content is classified non-hazardous and has a well-developed recycling market as secondary aggregate and asphalt re-use. Pre-1990 road surfaces and airfield taxiways may contain coal tar as binder; testing (e.g. fluorescence microscopy, GC-MS) required to distinguish tar-bound from bitumen-bound material.
Coal tar-containing RAP (classified 17 03 01*) contains PAHs classified as carcinogens (benzo[a]pyrene — Cat. 1A). Worker exposure during handling, milling and transport must be controlled under Carcinogen Directive. Coal-tar-containing material cannot be recycled into road surfaces intended for public use in most EU Member States.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 17 03, ranked by economic value and market depth. RAP recycling in asphalt production is the primary route.
Non-hazardous RAP reprocessed at asphalt mixing plants at up to 50% replacement of virgin aggregate and bitumen. Drum mixers and parallel drum systems allow high RAP incorporation rates. Reduces virgin aggregate and bitumen consumption by equivalent volume.
Lower-grade RAP fractions and mixed C&D bituminous materials used as secondary aggregate in road sub-base and drainage layers. Performance must meet specification requirements. End-of-waste status may apply under national provisions.
Coal-tar-containing RAP (17 03 01*) disposed at permitted hazardous landfill. WAC leachate testing for PAH content required. Some Member States permit encapsulation in sub-surface layers under specific conditions, but public health risk assessment required.
These are the established routes for EWC 17 03. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Asphalt mixing plants accepting RAP for incorporation in recycled asphalt products
Road construction companies generating and reusing RAP from milling operations
Secondary aggregate processors sizing RAP for sub-base applications
Specialist disposal of coal-tar-containing 17 03 01* material
Source: NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat, 2008
Key legislative frameworks governing EWC 17 03 classification, transport, and treatment.
Workers handling coal-tar-bound RAP exposed to PAHs (particularly benzo[a]pyrene). OEL for benzo[a]pyrene 0.00003 mg/m³ under Directive as amended by Directive 2019/130/EU. Air monitoring, RPE and decontamination facilities required at milling operations suspected of encountering tar-bound surfaces.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons restricted under REACH Annex XVII (Entry 50) in granules used on sports pitches. RAP recycling into sports surface sub-base may require PAH content verification. Limit: sum of 8 specific PAHs ≤20 mg/kg.
No EU-level end-of-waste criteria for RAP. Several Member States (UK: PAS 104 withdrawn; Germany: RC-Asphalt guidelines) have national frameworks. For cross-border transfer of RAP, Basel/WSR classification as waste applies until receiving country EoW conditions met.
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Sectors that valorise EWC 17 03 as an input material or secondary raw material.
Waste-stream pages and resources connected to EWC 17 03 valorisation.
Explore EU waste flows — Waste Atlas
Visualise 17 years of E-PRTR industrial facility data. See how EWC 17 03 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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