Do you know how waste management is defined by legislation?

Waste management is defined by Waste Act no. 185/2001 coll. and other corresponding implementing regulations.

The complete wording of the Act is available for download on the websites of the Ministry of the Environment.

What does Waste Act regulate?

• Rights and obligations of waste  originators (citizens, municipalities, towns and firms).
• Rights and obligations of entities engaged in waste collection, transport, treatment, utilization and waste disposal.
• Rights and obligations of state authorities and local governments.
• Sanctions and fees.

How does the law define waste?

Waste is any movable thing that a person discards or intends to discard or is obliged to discard and that is specified in one of the following waste categories:

• production and consumption residues not otherwise specified below,
• off specification products,
• products whose „use by“ or „best before“ dates have expired,
• products spilled, lost or having undergone other mishap including any materials, equipment parts etc. which were contaminated as a result of mishap,
• materials contaminated or spoiled as a result of planned actions (e.g. residues from cleaning operations, packaging materials, containers, etc.),
• unusable parts (e.g. used batteries, catalysts, etc.),
• substances which no longer perform satisfactorily (e.g. contaminated acids, solvents, tempering salts, etc.),
• residues of industrial processes (e.g. slags, still bottoms, etc.),
• residues of pollution abatement processes (e.g. scrubber sledges, backhouse dusts, spent filtres, etc.),
• machining/finishing residues (e.g. lathe turnings, mill scales, etc.),
• residues of raw materials transport and processing (e.g. from mining, oil transport, etc.),
• adulterated materials (e.g. PCB-contaminated oils, etc.),
• any materials, substances or products whose use has been banned by law,
• products for which the holder has no further use (e.g. agricultural, household, office, commercial and workshop discards, etc.),
• contaminated materials, substances or products resulting from remedial action with respect to land,
• any materials, substances or products which are not contained in the above categories.

What are the fundamental obligations of waste originators?

• Prevent production of waste.
• Classify wastes by types and categories according to the Waste catalogue.
• Transfer ownership of wastes only to persons entitled to assume waste.
• Verify hazardous properties of waste.
• Gather wastes sorted by types and categories.
• Keep record of wastes.
• Pay the waste landfill fees in a manner and scope stipulated by the Act.

Who assumes obligations related to disposal of waste generated by citizens?

All obligations related to disposal of waste generated by citizens are assumed by municipalities. They comply with a legally binding regulation which defines the waste management system.

Specific wastes

Some specific wastes are treated in compliance with individual regulations, e.g. plastic waste is regulated by Packaging Act. 

Also, application of sludge from wastewater treatment plants on agricultural land and biowaste disposal are subject to specific regulations.