Law on Waste Management (No. VIII-787).

This Law shall establish the basic requirements for the prevention, record keeping, collection, sorting, storage, transportation, utilization and disposal of waste with a view to prevent its negative effects on the environment and human health. The Law shall stipulate the functions of public authorities and other legal and natural persons in the sphere of waste management. This Law establishes general requirements for the prevention and management of waste in order to prevent the adverse effects of waste on public health and the environment, the conditions under which the substance or object may be considered as waste, state regulation of waste management, basic principles of organization and planning of waste management systems, requirements for waste holders and waste managers; economic and financial measures for waste management, the rights and obligations of manufacturers, importers and distributors of oils, electrical and electronic equipment, vehicles, taxable products, products made of aerobically degradable plastic, disposable plastic products, fishing gear containing plastic and packaging. The purpose of this Law is to ensure the application of the legal acts of the European Union specified in Annex 5 to this Law. The placing on the market of all products made of aerobic plastic shall be prohibited. The waste facility must ensure that hazardous substances, compounds and components are compressed or separated from the hazardous waste during its treatment in order to treat the waste in a way that is safe for public health and the environment. It is prohibited to import into Lithuania from other countries municipal and hazardous waste intended for disposal and/or use for energy production, and residues from the municipal waste incineration process (ash and slag). In order to increase the possibilities of financing waste management, the State Fund for Waste Management is established. The State Waste Management Fund consists of: (a) payments for materials and products, including containers and packaging, the use of which results in waste, envisaged by the law on taxes for environmental pollution; (b) targeted contributions from foreign countries, international organizations and financial institutions and legal and natural persons of the Republic of Lithuania; and (c) other sources of financing.
Enterprises which during the discharge of their economic-commercial activities generate waste and which utilize, dispose or handle waste must take every appropriate and economically feasible measure to minimize its quantity and the harmful effect on human health and the environment (art. 3). There are provisions regarding the regulation of waste management by the Government involving regulation of the manufacturing, import, sale and utilization of substances and products, including containers and packaging (art. 7). Article 8 refers to the procedure of waste record keeping whereas article 14 regards technical regulations of a waste utilization or disposal facility. Facilities involved with hazardous waste must obtain a licence from the relevant authority (art. 16). There are extensive provisions regarding the administration of waste management and economic and financial measures for waste management. The principle of manufacturer's responsibility is applied to the products and packaging specified in sections eight (1) – eight (6) and eight (11) of this Law. This includes the organization of product or packaging waste collection, transportation, waste treatment system and/or participation in the organization of product or packaging waste management in municipal waste management systems, including the financing of costs for these activities, the implementation of product or packaging waste management tasks set by the Government, Tax for environmental pollution, payment of the fee for environmental pollution with product or packaging waste, public education on waste prevention and management, provision of information about products, packaging and their waste management to users and waste handlers of these products, acceptance of returned products and waste generated after their use, management and financial responsibility for such activities.
Regulatory activity shall be intended the management of municipal waste and non-municipal waste generated by households by regional waste management centers. The holder of waste must hand over the waste to the waste handlers in accordance with the procedure established by this Law and other legal acts or can handle the waste himself. Waste is managed in accordance with the waste management rules approved by the Minister of the Environment. Municipal waste and household waste not classified as municipal waste are handled in accordance with the rules of municipal waste management. Municipalities organize municipal waste management systems necessary for the management of municipal waste and other household waste generated in their territories, ensure the functioning of these systems, organize the management of garbage and waste whose owner cannot be identified or which does not exist, and administer the provision of municipal waste management services.