Waste classification — step by step

Automated calculation exists for:

• HP4 Irritant
• HP5 Specific target organ toxicity (STOT) / aspiration, with H304 excluded for ordinary solid excavated soil waste
• HP6 Acute toxicity
• HP7 Carcinogenic
• HP8 Corrosive
• HP10 Toxic for reproduction
• HP11 Mutagenic
• HP13 Sensitising
• HP14 Ecotoxic

Parameters marked POPs are additionally screened in parallel against the POPs Regulation (EU 2019/1021), separately from the HP assessment.

The following HP properties require manual consultant assessment:

• HP1 Explosive
• HP2 Oxidising
• HP3 Flammable
• HP9 Infectious
• HP12 Release of acute toxic gas
• HP15 Waste capable of developing hazardous properties

The tool uses harmonised CLP classifications from ECHA Annex VI, currently ATP22. The result is a support for waste classification, not a complete assessment of every rule that may affect handling, transport, acceptance, or destruction.

Check before calculation:

• The batch corresponds to a clearly delimited quantity of material.
• The sample selection is representative of that batch.
• You have chosen the right aggregation when several samples are included.

The tool defaults to Mean. Use Max when each sample should be able to represent a subset that may need separate classification — that is the conservative default in those cases. Mean assumes the samples represent the same mixed waste mass.

You can fill the parameter table in three ways — choose the one that fits (you do not need to do all):

1. Import an ALS, Eurofins or SGS PDF, or an ALS or Eurofins Excel report.
2. Download the Excel template, fill it, and import it again.
3. Type directly into the table.

Value rules:

• Concentrations are entered in the unit shown for each row.
• An empty cell means no value is reported.
• A plain 0 is treated as "not reported" and is not saved as a concentration.
• Values below the reporting limit are written with <, for example <0.5.
• LOQ values are aggregated as LOQ/2.
• Negative values and negative reporting limits are not valid.

If a lab report contains 0 it is treated as a data quality issue and shown as a non-imported row. Check the lab report before replacing it with blank or <LOQ.

The tooltip on the cell input shows the same rules briefly — it is the technical truth about which input formats are accepted.

Dry matter

Concentrations are entered on a dry-weight basis, such as mg/kg DM. Dry matter is read per sample from the lab report or entered above the parameter table. Correction is on for new batches and converts sample concentrations with recorded dry matter to wet-weight basis before aggregation and classification. Samples without dry matter keep the dry-weight concentration and are listed under Data notes.

Resolve before the final report when:

• A relevant analyte row lacks a mapping.
• A relevant analyte row has an unsupported unit.
• A lab row contains an invalid value.
• A CAS match lacks a harmonised CLP row.
• A parameter requires species selection/speciation before it can enter the HP calculation.

Not all such points mean the classification is wrong, but they mean the report should not be treated as finished without the consultant's active decision.

Use the default reference when:

• It is relevant for the waste.
• There is no better substance-specific information.
• It is consistent with the project's chemical understanding and Avfall Sverige/Kemakta reasoning.

Change the reference substance or leave the row unresolved when:

• There is documented substance-specific information pointing to another compound.
• The waste comes from a process where the default assumption is inappropriate.
• The choice affects the result and you cannot justify the default reference.
• The row explicitly requires species selection, for example total Cr or Co.

When you choose another reference substance, the source and justification must be recorded so the decision can be traced in the report. The choice is saved with username and timestamp.

Different classification tools may choose different default references. The tool's defaults follow Avfall Sverige 2024:09/Kemakta reasoning for contaminated soil; other tools in several cases use more conservative species. The same analytical data can therefore give different outcomes — the difference lies in the species selection, not in the HP calculation.

Total chromium

Total Cr is not classified automatically. Choose the Cr(VI) option only if there is a basis for using Cr(VI) as the classification reference. Chromate is plausible in concrete-derived waste, but the entire total is not automatically assumed to be Cr(VI). A separate Cr(VI) analysis is recorded on its own row and classified directly. If both are present, measured Cr(VI) is used while total Cr remains an unresolved review item; the concentrations are never added together.

Cobalt

Total Co requires species selection. Do not choose a reference substance without chemical support. If a basis is missing, the row should be left unresolved or completed.

Petroleum / TPH

Lab-reported TPH and petroleum fractions are not classified automatically. They are shown as petroleum fractions without creating a CLP species in the HP engine.

This is a deliberate design choice — lab-reported carbon ranges are not the same as a specific petroleum product with known H-statements. For a known product, for example diesel or oil from a known source, product documentation, safety data sheet, free phase, physical form, and relevant H-statements must be assessed separately. HP3 is then handled manually.

If petroleum fractions are present and HP3 is still "Not assessed", the basis is marked incomplete.

PCB and POP substances

Parameters marked POPs in the parameter table, such as PCB-7, are screened automatically against the Annex IV concentration limits of the POPs Regulation in force on the assessment date. Annex IV determines POP status; Annex V Part 2 governs a separate, code-dependent comparison for Article 7(4)(b) and does not change the classification. The screening only covers the POP parameters that have been entered — check that the relevant analyses (for example PFAS, dioxins, HCB and PBDE) are included, and address input flagged as not screened.

pH and liquid waste

The tool has no separate input flow for pH, acid/alkali reserve, free liquid phase, viscosity, or liquid/sludge-form waste. Such cases can affect HP8 and H304/HP5 and must be handled outside the automatic soil flow calculation until dedicated support exists.

Asbestos

Asbestos is not included as an automated parameter in the tool. Handle asbestos under the relevant separate regulations and testing/classification basis.

Not assessed

When you have not yet taken a position.

Testing required

When the question cannot be decided with the existing basis.

Not applicable

When the property has been reviewed and is factually not relevant.

Not hazardous

When the property has been assessed and does not make the waste hazardous.

Hazardous

When the property makes the waste hazardous.

Justify manual assessments so it is clear which basis was used. If any manual HP is Not assessed or Testing required, the basis is not complete.

It does not automatically mean that:

• All needed analyses are included.
• All manual HP properties are assessed.
• The POP screening is complete — it only covers the POP parameters that have been entered.
• pH, free phase and liquid waste are ruled out.
• Acceptance criteria, landfill criteria, or transport rules are met.

When the basis is incomplete and the outcome is non-hazardous, it is marked with the suffix (preliminary – incomplete basis), because additional data could still make the waste hazardous. A hazardous outcome gets no such suffix — it is final, since outstanding items can only add hazard, never remove it. In both cases the warning box lists what is missing.