EWC Code
Soil (including excavated soil from contaminated sites), stones and dredging spoil
EUR-Lex Commission Decision 2000/532/EC — Official Journal L 226, 06/09/2000Annual Volume
500 million tonnes/year EU-wide excavated soil
Valorisation Range
€4.5B soil treatment and aggregate market
Primary Route
Direct reuse as backfill / secondary aggregate
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Get contacts for EWC 17 05EWC 17 05 is the largest volume C&D waste sub-chapter. Entries: 17 05 03* (soil and stones containing dangerous substances — hazardous), 17 05 04 (non-hazardous soil and stones), 17 05 05* (dredging spoil containing dangerous substances), 17 05 06 (non-hazardous dredging spoil), 17 05 07* (track ballast containing dangerous substances), 17 05 08 (non-hazardous track ballast).
Clean excavated soil from greenfield construction sites without historical contamination classified 17 05 04. Soil from brownfield, industrial or former agricultural sites requires contamination assessment under EN ISO 10381 sampling protocols before classification. Contaminant identification and concentration compared against national soil quality standards and HP threshold limits.
Dredging spoil from ports, waterways and harbours reflects centuries of industrial and shipping activity. Sediment characterisation per HELCOM, OSPAR or national guidelines required for sea disposal licensing. TBT (tributyltin) contamination is ubiquitous in harbour sediments and may trigger hazardous classification. Inland dredgings classified under WFD; sea disposal governed by OSPAR Convention.
Typical Generators
Established valorisation pathways for EWC 17 05, ranked by economic value and market depth. Direct reuse as backfill / secondary aggregate is the primary route.
Clean non-hazardous excavated soil reused on-site or transferred to other construction projects as fill, sub-base or topsoil replacement. Exempt from waste management requirements in many Member States under WFD Art. 2(1)(a) exclusion for uncontaminated soil.
Lightly contaminated soil treated by bioremediation (petroleum hydrocarbons, PAH), thermal desorption (VOCs, chlorinated solvents) or soil washing (heavy metals). Treated soil meeting quality standards reused in civil engineering applications.
Heavily contaminated soil not amenable to cost-effective treatment disposed at permitted hazardous landfill under Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC. WAC leachate and total content testing required. Stabilisation may reduce leachate concentrations to meet WAC.
These are the established routes for EWC 17 05. Which one your stream qualifies for depends on its composition, volume and region.
Get the ranked options for your streamPrimary & secondary off-takers
Port and waterway construction accepting dredging spoil for beneficial reuse in land reclamation
Contaminated land remediation firms treating and disposing of hazardous excavated soil
Developers accepting clean excavated soil for on-site reuse
Aggregate producers accepting clean excavated granular material
Source: NACE Rev.2 — Eurostat, 2008
Key legislative frameworks governing EWC 17 05 classification, transport, and treatment.
Uncontaminated soil excavated in course of construction excluded from WFD scope provided it is reused in same or another construction project in natural state. "Natural state" and "uncontaminated" must be demonstrated; brownfield sites require contamination verification. Member States implement differently.
Contaminated soil accepted at hazardous landfill must meet WAC (waste acceptance criteria) for leachate concentrations under Decision 2003/33/EC. Total organic content (TOC) and pH criteria also apply. Stabilisation to meet WAC is common practice for metal-contaminated soils.
Sea disposal of dredging spoil in NE Atlantic requires permit under OSPAR Convention. Contaminant assessment against OSPAR sediment quality guidelines for hazardous substances. TBT, PCB and heavy metal levels assessed. London Protocol applies to offshore disposal globally.
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Sectors that valorise EWC 17 05 as an input material or secondary raw material.
Waste-stream pages and resources connected to EWC 17 05 valorisation.
Explore EU waste flows — Waste Atlas
Visualise 17 years of E-PRTR industrial facility data. See how EWC 17 05 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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