Matters Regarding Waste

Matters regarding waste are regulated in the Waste Act and Waste Decree. The Waste Act supports sustainable development by promoting the rational use of natural resources and preventing and combating the hazard and harm to health and the environment arising from wastes. Waste means any substance or object which the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard. The Waste Act is applied to waste, waste management and littering as well as to products and activities generating waste. The act lists the types of waste that are exempted from the general scope of application, such as emissions into the air.

 The waste legislation is built on a general order of priority. First priority shall be given to reducing the quantity and harmfulness of waste generated .The aim is to prevent generation of waste and to save natural resources at all stages of production. This is performed i.a. by replacing raw materials with waste whenever is is possible. Harmful substances must be replaced with less-harmful whenever it is possible. If, however, waste is generated, the waste holder shall first and foremost prepare the waste for re-use, or, secondarily, recycle it. If recycling is not possible, the waste holder shall recover the waste in other ways, including recovery as energy. If recovery is not possible, disposal of the waste shall be carried out.

 The Waste Act lays down further provisions on organizing waste management, producer responsibility, prohibition of littering and obligation to clean up litter as well as registers and regulations regarding waste management and producers. The permit procedure of the Environmental Protection Act is on certain aspects applied to waste matters.  The activities that require a permit are listed in the Act.