Lesson 2.1 · 6 min
Recognising Green List waste
Open in the coursewith narrated slides, a checklist to tick off and a quiz
At a glance
- The Green List. It takes over the wastes in Annex IX of the Basel Convention and adds further entries.
- Mixtures and extra entries. Annex IIIA lists mixtures that count as green. Annex IIIB lists additional green-listed wastes.
- Contaminated is no longer green. If waste is contaminated so that the risk rises or environmentally sound recovery suffers, it needs a notification.
- Within the EU: EU3011. Single-polymer plastic waste for recycling is green if other content stays within six percent of the weight in total.
In detail
Where the Green List is
- Annex III lists the wastes subject to the general information requirements of Article 18. Part I takes over the wastes in Annex IX of the Basel Convention, the "B" entries, with some deviations; Part II holds further entries, such as metal-bearing wastes from melting, smelting and refining metals Annex III.
- Annex IIIA lists mixtures of wastes that count as Green List, as long as their composition does not impair environmentally sound recovery Art. 4(4)(b).
- Annex IIIB lists additional green-listed wastes Art. 4(4)(a).
- Annex IV is the counterpart: what is listed there needs a notification Art. 4(2)(a).
When green waste is no longer green
Whether or not a waste is listed in Annex III: if it is contaminated so that the risks increase, judged by the list of waste and the hazardous properties, or so that environmentally sound recovery is prevented, the notification procedure applies Annex III Art. 4(2)(e). A mixture not listed in Annex IIIA needs a notification as well Art. 4(2)(c). A single shipment of several wastes, each kept separate, is not a mixture Art. 3(1).
Plastic waste within the EU
For shipments within the Union, entry EU3011 applies instead of Basel entry B3011 Annex III, Part I(g). Under it, plastic waste destined for recycling is green if it consists almost exclusively of one non-halogenated polymer, such as PE, PP, PS, ABS, PET or polycarbonate, or of one cured resin or one of the other polymers listed there, and is almost free from contamination and other types of waste.
"Almost free" and "almost exclusively" mean: contamination, other types of waste and other polymers together at most 6 % of the weight of the consignment (footnote to EU3011). For exports from the EU, B3011 applies, with its own rules (lesson 5.1).
Checklist
- Every Green List waste has its Annex III, IIIA or IIIB entry on the form.
- Contamination is checked and recorded before loading.
- Plastic bales within the EU stay within the 6 % limit of EU3011.
- Separately loaded wastes in one shipment are each classified on their own.
Quiz
Bales of PET bottles go to Italy for recycling. In total they contain 9 % other plastics, labels and dirt. What applies?
- Green List, because PET is named in EU3011
- Green List, because recycling is planned
- No procedure at all, because plastic isn't waste
- Not EU3011: with more than 6 % other content, the waste doesn't fall under this entry
Show the answer
The answer is D: Not EU3011: with more than 6 % other content, the waste doesn't fall under this entry. EU3011 requires almost single-polymer, almost clean plastic: contamination, other wastes and other polymers together at most 6 % of the consignment's weight (Annex III, Part I(g), with its footnote).
Sources
This lesson's statements rest on:
Not legal advice. What counts is Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1290 in the Official Journal, Austrian law and the BMLUK's guidance (read on 4 October 2026). DIWASS is a system of the European Commission. Not an offer of the European Commission, the BMLUK or the Environment Agency Austria.