- List of Waste code
- 17 05 03*
- WM3 entry type
- Mirror hazardous
- Official description
- Soil and stones containing hazardous substances
- Jurisdiction note
- WM3 GB reference; check national requirements for the site
Soil and stones under 17 05 03*
WM3 lists 17 05 03* as a mirror hazardous entry for soil and stones containing hazardous substances. Using the code requires a waste-classification assessment. Appearance, odour or a former industrial land use is not enough on its own to assign it.
Material from different areas or depths may need separate assessment where its history or composition differs. Soil should also be distinguished from rubble, made-ground constituents and other materials when they form separate waste streams.
Representative sampling and site evidence
Site history and investigation results help define the assessment, but the evidence has to represent the material that will become waste. A single convenient sample may not describe a whole excavation or stockpile when conditions vary.
Laboratory results still have to be interpreted through the WM3 classification process. Detecting a named substance is not the same as completing the hazardous-property assessment for the waste as a whole.
Waste classification and landfill acceptance
Waste classification and landfill acceptance are separate stages. GOV.UK guidance states that waste acceptance criteria (WAC) results must not be used to classify waste; WAC forms part of the separate landfill acceptance process.
The mirror entry 17 05 04 covers soil and stones other than those mentioned in 17 05 03. Selection between the entries depends on the evidence and assessment, not on disposal price or a receiving site’s preference.
Excavation and receiving information
Site investigation data, excavation areas, stockpile identities and quantities provide the working context for the waste assessment. The receiving facility must be suitable for the classified waste. Further sampling should address a defined gap in the evidence rather than simply add more test results.