Definitions and legislation
Waste management involves legislation from many areas. The waste management is mainly governed by the Environmental Code (SFS 1998: 808). This includes several ordinances, the most important of which is the Waste Ordinance (SFS 2011: 927) where, for example, waste types classified as hazardous waste are defined. Key concepts in the legislation are explained below.
Packaging
Packaging means a container for the purpose of protecting, delivering, containing or presenting a product, for example a milk carton, a juice bottle or a can of canned food. A metal saucepan, a drinking glass or a plastic dish brush is not a package. How household waste is to be sorted is determined on the basis of whether the waste is a packaging or not. This means that metal cans and metal sauce pans are not sorted together even though they are made of the same material.
Producer responsibility
Producer responsibility means that the person who manufactures / imports / sells a product is responsible for taking care of the product when it becomes waste. The idea is that the producers' responsibility for the waste will generate products that are easier to recycle, are more resource-efficient and do not contain environmentally hazardous substances. This in turn contributes to long-term sustainable development.
There is currently producer responsibility in the following areas:
- Packaging made of glass, metal, paper and plastic
- Batteries
- Cars
- Tires
- Electrical and electronic products (including light bulbs and some light fittings)
- Some radioactive products and orphan radiation sources
- Drugs
- Waste paper
Waste codes
In the Waste Ordinance, Appendix 4, all existing types of waste are listed together with their so-called waste codes. The waste codes are used for the classification of waste throughout the EU. The codes, which are six-digit, must always be stated when hazardous waste is provided for transport to recycling / treatment / destruction.
Hazardous waste
Hazardous waste is defined in the Waste Directive (2008/98 / EC) Annex III as waste having one or more of the following properties: explosive, oxidizing, flammable, irritating, acute toxic, carcinogenic, corrosive, infectious, toxic to reproduction, waste that give rise to toxic or very toxic gases in contact with water, air or acid, allergenic, ecotoxic or waste capable, by any means, after disposal of yielding another material, e.g. leachate, which possesses any of the characteristics listed above. The types of waste classified as hazardous are marked with an asterisk (*) in Annex 4 to the Waste Ordinance.
Hazardous waste must not be mixed or diluted with other waste, it must be collected separately. Different types of hazardous waste must also not be mixed with each other.
Transport documents
According to Chapter 6, Section 19 of the Waste Ordinance, the consignor must, at each transport of hazardous waste, draw up a transport document.
The transport document shall contain information on:
1. type of waste,
2. the weight of the waste in kilograms,
3. date of shipment;
4. from which original place and to which final place the waste is transported;
5. carrier, and
6. submitter and final recipient, if any.
The transport document must be signed by the person who is to transport the waste and by the sender.
Record keeping (Waste ordinance, 6 kap, 1§)
New rules from 1 Aug 2020)
Anyone who produces hazardous waste in or in connection with a professional activity must record information for each type of hazardous waste on:
1. where the waste was produced,
2. date of removal,
3. mode of transport,
4. who will transport the waste away,
5. the weight of the waste in kilograms, and
6. the consignee and the place where the waste is to be handled by other means than by the consignee transporting or reloading it.
The information must be recorded before the transport begins.
The information must be kept for at least three years. One way to do this is to collect and save transport documents and invoices.
Reporting
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has introduced requirements that everyone who produces, transports or treats hazardous waste must report to them. Through the agreement with Ragnsells, Uppsala University has the opportunity to purchase the service to report the hazardous waste that we leave to Ragnsells for transport. However, we still have to take notes as described above. Talk to your campus management about the routines on your campus.
Link to information on Ragnsells web page. (in Swedish)