Zero Waste Regulation

What is the Zero Waste Regulation and why was it issued?

The Zero Waste Regulation was published in the Official Gazette dated 12 July 2019, No. 30829, and is administered by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. Its purpose is to set the general principles for establishing, spreading, monitoring and certifying a zero waste management system, in line with the efficient management of raw materials and natural resources (Article 1). The Regulation was amended by a text published in the Official Gazette dated 9 October 2021, No. 31623.

Under the Regulation, zero waste is an approach that prevents or reduces waste generation, gives priority to reuse, collects the waste that does arise separately at source, and cuts the amount sent to disposal through recycling and recovery (Article 4).

Who is covered by the Zero Waste Regulation?

The Regulation covers local administrations, the other premises listed in Annex 1, and anyone who chooses to set up the system voluntarily (Article 2). Holders of a basic-level certificate that are provincial municipalities, district municipalities with a population above fifty thousand, organised industrial zones, shopping centres, airports, ports, accommodation businesses with 250 or more rooms, chain stores and universities must also obtain a silver, gold or platinum certificate (Article 16).

Apart from housing estates with 300 or more dwellings, residences are handled within the municipality's system and no separate certificate is issued. Process waste from industrial facilities is not treated as covered by the certificate until the Ministry sets criteria; waste similar to household waste falls outside that exception (Article 2).

How is a Zero Waste Certificate obtained and how long is it valid?

Article 13 describes the roadmap for setting up the system in these steps:

• Appointing the responsible person or working team
• Assessing the current situation, including the source, type and quantity of waste and temporary storage areas, and analysing needs
• Running training and awareness activities and starting implementation
• Regular monitoring, record keeping and improvement

Applications are made through the Zero Waste Information System. The provincial directorate evaluates the application within thirty calendar days, and if deficiencies are notified, another thirty calendar days are given to complete them (Article 17). The certificate has four levels (basic, silver, gold and platinum), is valid for five years, and a renewal application is made three months before expiry (Articles 15 and 17). Those obliged to set up the system, and those doing so voluntarily, may obtain consultancy from environmental consultancy firms authorised by the Ministry (Article 10).

How is waste collected separately and where does it go?

Recoverable non-hazardous waste such as paper, glass, metal and plastic is collected separately from other waste. When collected together, the equipment is blue and other waste goes into dark grey; when collected by material, blue is used for paper, yellow for plastic, green for glass, light grey for metal and brown for biodegradable waste (Article 14).

Waste collected under the zero waste system is processed at waste processing facilities that hold a temporary activity certificate or an environmental licence from the Ministry (Article 5). Waste batteries, waste vegetable oil, waste electrical and electronic equipment and waste medicines go to collection points, waste drop-off centres or processing facilities, while medical waste and other hazardous waste are managed under their own legislation (Article 14).

What does it mean for destruction and recycling?

Certificate holders must hand the waste they collect separately to the collection system of a municipality that holds a certificate, or to licensed facilities, for recovery (Article 10). When buying destruction or recycling services, checking that the facility holds a temporary activity certificate or environmental licence is therefore a basic condition for keeping the system sound.

Monthly information on the waste collected under the system is reported through the Zero Waste Information System by the fifteenth of the following month, and data checks for the previous year are completed by the end of March each year (Article 10).

What happens to those who do not comply?

Where the declarations in the information system are not made, or an inspection finds that the system is not being applied, an administrative sanction is imposed and a ninety-calendar-day improvement period follows; if the improvement is insufficient, the certificate is cancelled (Article 18). Provincial directorates inspect certificate holders at least once during the validity period (Article 19). Administrative sanctions rest on the Environmental Law No. 2872, the Misdemeanours Law No. 5326 and other relevant legislation (Article 21).