Waste Management Act

Objectives and Principles

In accordance with the precautionary principle and sustainability, waste management must be designed to avoid harmful or adverse impacts on humans, animals, and plants, their livelihoods, and their natural environment, or to minimize impacts that otherwise impair general human well-being; to keep emissions of air pollutants and climate-relevant gases to a minimum; to conserve resources (raw materials, water, energy, landscape, land, landfill volume); to ensure that waste or the materials derived from it do not pose a greater risk than comparable primary raw materials or products made from primary raw materials; and to ensure that only waste whose disposal does not pose a threat to future generations remains.

Waste Management Act in its current version (RIS) (in German only)

AWG Amendment Digitization (RIS) (in German only)