Domestic and transfrontier shipments of waste

Wastes are frequently collected from waste generators and places of origin and transported to facilities where they can be disposed of or recovered and used as a secondary raw material. Collectors, carriers, storage and treatment facilities have to be properly licensed. Partly different permitting rules and legislation are applied to transport of wastes within Finland and for transfrontier shipments of waste.

Collection and transport of waste within Finland

Transports of wastes within Finland is covered by the Finnish Waste Act, the Finnish Waste Decree and the Decision 659/1996 of the Council of State. According to the Waste Act, professional collection and transport of waste has to be notified to the so-called National Waste Register kept by Economic Development, Transport and the Environment Centres. In case the waste is stored in connection with the collection and transport activities, possibly an environmental permit has to be obtained for the storage place.

Transfrontier shipments of waste

Transfrontier shipments of waste are regulated in accordance to  Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the so-called waste shipment regulation. Additionally he Finnish Waste Act (1072/93, amended by 747/2007 and 806/2008) sets some additional conditions for the approval of transfrontier shipments of waste. Also, acting as a seller or trader of waste requires a notification to the so-called National Waste Register if the waste is intended for disposal or recovery outside of Finland and this has not been taken into account in a respective environmental permit. The rules applied to transports of wastes within Finland are partially applied to the part of transfrontier shipments effected within Finland.