Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 6 of 2021 concerning Procedures and Requirements for the Management of Hazardous and Toxic Waste.

This Ministerial Regulation, implementing provisions of article 449 of Government Regulation no. 22 of 2021 concerning environmental protection, organisation and management, describes procedures and requirements for managing hazardous and toxic waste and provides for a comprehensive and systematic approach to hazardous waste management, classification, handling, storage, and export of hazardous waste, focusing on protection of human health and the environment, and compliance with international standards. The Regulation defines the following relevant terms: hazardous and toxic waste; hazardous and toxic substances; business activity; environmental impact assessment; environmental monitoring; producer of hazardous and toxic waste; treatment of waste; transport and storage of waste; waste disposal; quality control; packaging of waste; waste resulting from drilling operations; export of waste. The Regulation covers the following matters: need for proper data collection, inventory, and risk assessment regarding hazardous and toxic waste; classification of waste and quantity; specification of criteria and methods to identify, categorise, and characterise hazardous waste, including: explosive and flammable waste, infectious, corrosive and poisonous, through toxicology testing methodologies.
Further measures covered by this Regulation include: examination of wastewater; establishment of a team of experts for monitoring and evaluating the level of toxicity of waste; characteristics of hazardous and toxic waste; exemptions concerning hazardous and toxic waste; reduction of hazardous and toxic waste, through material substitution and use of environmentally friendly technologies; specific requirements and safety measures for storage of waste, in order to prevent environmental contamination and natural disasters; soil characteristic and permeability, for ensuring storage of waste; waste storage and groundwater monitoring; analysis of water quality standards, for water in ponds close to the waste storage sites; storage time according to the type of hazardous and toxic waste. Concerning transportation of waste, the Regulation focuses on: issuance of permit and business licence; transport equipment; special recommendations. The Regulation also concerns: utilisation of waste as a substitute for natural resources energy production; reuse and recycling of waste; methods for treatment of waste; categories of disposal facilities, including: injection wells, relocation of former mining areas; waste disposal procedures.
Furthermore, the Regulation focuses on: dumping of waste and necessary authorisation; monitoring of sea water quality and environmental monitoring; protection of marine ecosystem; transboundary movement of waste and related procedures. Attachments include: concentration of values of pollutants through tests; methods for analysing the level of toxicity of waste.