Contaminated Sites Remediation Act

The most recent amendment to the ALSAG was made as part of the administrative reform of the Federal Ministry by means of the Federal Act of Federal Law Gazette I No 58/2017.

The objective of this amendment is to increase legal certainty in the application of the contaminated sites contributions and the exemptions. To this end, in particular exemptions were adapted to existing legislation (e.g. the Recycled Construction Materials Ordinance, in German “Recycling-Baustoffverordnung”) and the verification procedure for the non-contributory use of waste was specified.

The main contents of the amendment are

• Deletion of "excavated earth" including exception
• Exemption from contributions for the backfilling of waste that is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Waste Management Plan (“Abfallwirtschaftsplan”) pursuant to Section 8 of the Austrian Waste Management Act (“Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz”, abbreviation “AWG”) 2002 for excavation materials
• Exemption from contributions for the landfilling of excavation material
  • that is generated by the excavation or removal of naturally grown soil or subsoil - even after relocation or treatment,
  • that does not contain more than 30 percent by volume of mineral components foreign to the soil and not more than 3 percent by volume of organic components foreign to the soil,
  • that already contained foreign soil components prior to the excavation work,
  • when the limit values of the inert waste or construction waste landfill are complied with and
  • when deposited in a landfill approved for that purpose.
• Exemption from contributions for the landfilling of excavation material from tunnelling projects and from tracks under certain conditions
• Exemption from contributions for the utilisation of recycled construction materials in accordance with the Recycled Construction Materials Ordinance
• Producers of recycled construction materials as contribution debtors

Altlastensanierungsgesetz (RIS) (in German only)