Legislation and waste management regulations

Legislation and local waste management regulations

Waste management in Finland is regulated by legislation, and municipal waste management regulations. The common goal of this regulatory framework is to support sustainable development by promoting the sensible use of natural resources and by preventing and combating the hazards and damage caused by waste to health and the environment.

One of the Waste Management Committee’s most important tasks is to decide on the joint municipal waste management regulations covering the areas of the 10 member municipalities. The waste management regulations include provisions on the collection, sorting, storage, transfer, recycling, or processing of waste and on the technical requirements applicable to these functions. The application of the waste management regulations may be supplemented by separate directives issued by the Waste Management Committee.

Under the Waste Act, the environmental protection authorities of the individual municipalities ensure compliance with the Waste Act and the waste management regulations. The Waste Act also stipulates that the mildest legal penalty for waste offenses is a fine if the municipal waste management regulations are violated intentionally or through serious negligence.