The end-of-waste status applies to waste which is subjected to a waste recovery operation, including recycling, through which waste is considered to be transformed into a raw material ready to be added to the manufacturing of products.
This “waste declassification mechanism” allows this waste to be used as a product without the administrative procedures associated with waste management being applied to them, easing and simplifying ways of using the substances, objects or products.
The end-of-waste status can apply to specific waste after it has been subjected to a recovery operation, provided that compliance with pre-defined criteria has been demonstrated.
Community end-of-waste status criteria have been published for the following materials: iron, steel and aluminium scrap (Regulation (EU) No. 333/2011), glass cullets (Regulation (EU) No. 1179/2012), copper scrap (Regulation (EU) No. 715/2013), recovered plastic (Portuguese Decree No. 245/2017 of 2nd August) and rubber material from used tyres (Portuguese Decree No. 20/2018 of 17th January).
