Waste Management Act (No. 238/1991).

The Act shall set down rights and duties of state administration bodies, and duties of legal entities and natural persons in waste handling. Unless it is set down otherwise by special regulations, this Act shall also apply to the handling of: a) waste and special waters; b) atmosphere pollutants; c) precious metal waste; d) radioactive waste; e) waste deposited underground; f) dumpsites, spoil banks and mud settling ponds; g) waste of animal origin (art. 1). Waste shall be an article intended to be eliminated by its owner (Art. 1, Par. 1 of the Act), or a movable asset to be removed (disposed of) for reasons of the care of the healthy living conditions and the protection of the environment. Special waste shall be a waste requiring a special way of handling, especially for reasons of the economics or the protection of the environment. Hazardous waste shall be a special waste injurious or possibly injurious to the health of people or the environment due to its special qualities (namely toxicity, infectiousness, irritantness, explosiveness, flammableness, or chemical qualities, carcinogenity, teratogenity and mutagenity) (art. 2). Waste management shall mean activities intent on preventing and limiting waste creation and waste handling. Waste handling shall mean any activity concerning waste, namely collection, transport, storage and disposal, including a care of waste disposing sites, salvage, purchase, treatment, sorting, processing, and exploitation of waste as a source of secondary raw materials and power. Legal entities and natural persons shall be responsible for waste handling, and shall reduce waste production to a minimum level (art. 3). The Government of the Slovak Republic shall provide by issue: a) waste registration, including a register of landfills established before this Act takes effect; b) details of waste handling.