Waste shipment

Icon Waste shipment

The import, export and transit of waste to, from or through EU member states generally requires authorization. Exempted are wastes on the “Green List of Waste” for recovery within the meaning of Article 18 of the EU Waste Shipment Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1013/2006).
As of 21 May 2026, Regulation (EU) 1157/2024 will fully replace the currently (still) applicable EU Waste Shipment Regulation 1013/2006.

On April 30, 2024, Regulation (EU) 1157/2024 was published in the Official Journal of the EU, which redefines the shipment of waste within the EU and beyond. In addition to environmental and health protection, sustainable management of waste resources and the promotion of the circular economy are the key objectives of the regulation.

From May 21, 2026, it will completely replace Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste, which is currently (still) in force.

Until then, the provisions of the previous Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste will continue to apply for the most part. The Ministry's templates and forms can still be used. Article 85 of the new EU Shipment Regulation 1157/2024 contains the following transition periods:

  • Until May 21, 2026, the provisions of Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste will essentially continue to apply.
  • Notifications for which the competent authority of destination has transmitted the acknowledgement of receipt before May 21, 2026, must be completed in accordance with the provisions of the previous Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste.
  • Shipments for which the consent has been granted in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste will remain valid even after May 21, 2026. However, the (final) treatment of the shipped waste must be completed by May 21, 2027 at the latest.
  • Pre-consents pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste in conjunction with Section 71a of the Austrian Waste Management Act 2002 shall expire no later than May 20, 2029.
  • Shipments to a pre-consented facility, which have been issued in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 on shipment of waste, must be completed by May 21, 2029, at the latest.
  • From May 21, 2026, the new EU Shipment Regulation 1157/2024 will apply fully to new applications for shipments. The EU Shipment Regulation 1157/2024 shall also apply to applications submitted before May 21, 2026, if no acknowledgment of receipt has been issued by the competent authority of destination before May 21, 2026.

Key content and changes in the Waste Shipment Regulation 1157/2024

  • Digitization of waste shipment. From May 21, 2026, notifications, consents, reports, documents, and other information relating to the shipment of waste will be transmitted and exchanged electronically via the Digital Waste Shipment System (DIWASS) (Article 27). In Austria, this will (continue to) be implemented via the eVerbringung application in Electronic Data Management (EDM). Economic operators and authorities who are not resident of or registered in the Union and do not have access to DIWASS can continue to send information and documents to the competent authorities by post, fax, or e-mail with a digital signature (Article 38(2), Article 51(2)).
  • Notification procedure. New requirements and deadlines now apply to the procedure (Articles 5, 8, 9 ff). In future, notifications must be submitted electronically by the notifying party to all authorities involved at the same time. The forwarding of notification documents by the authority at the place of dispatch is no longer required.
  • General notification. In future, shipments must start at the same location and may no longer originate from different waste collection points (Article 13(1)(c)).
  • Notification contract. In addition to the notifier and the consignee, the contract must also be signed by the plant operator, unless the latter is identical to the recipient.
  • Follow-up notifications. In the case of a follow-up notification, that concerns the same type of waste, consignee, facility and authorities compared to a previously consented notification, it will be possible to refer to the information already provided in the previous notification (Article 9(3)).
  • Mixed municipal waste. This now includes untreated waste and, provided that treatment does not significantly alter its properties, e.g., fuels from processed mixed municipal waste, as well as treated mixed municipal waste. In general, the shipment of such waste for disposal is prohibited (Article 4(3); Article 11(1)(h)).

Shipments within the EU

  • Prohibition on the shipment of waste for disposal. If certain conditions are fulfilled, consent may be given to a notification despite the general prohibition (Article 11).
  • Green listed waste. Shipment for recovery is still possible, but is subject to new reporting requirements and deadlines (Article 18).
  • Transport for laboratory analysis or experiments. The generally permissible waste quantity has been increased to up to 250 kg (Article 4 (5)).
  • Mixed municipal waste. The shipment of mixed municipal waste for recovery purposes is subject to notification (Article 4(3)).

Export from the EU

  • Prohibition on the export of waste for disposal. Exceptions are made for EFTA countries that are also parties to the Basel Convention and meet the necessary requirements. Modified regulations apply to the procedure (Article 37, Article 38).
  • Export of waste for recovery to countries not covered by the OECD Decision. This is now subject to stricter regulations. The export of hazardous waste and certain other types of waste remains prohibited in general. Unless there is a general export ban on certain non-hazardous waste and mixtures, shipment is only permitted to countries that are included in the new list of countries (Article 39 ff).
  • Export of waste for recovery to countries covered by the OECD Decision. Waste may be exported subject to additional provisions (Article 44).
  • Plastic waste B3011. From May 21, 2026, this waste may only be exported for recovery to countries covered by the OECD decision after prior written notification and consent (Article 44 paragraph 2 c). Export for recycling to countries not covered by the OECD decision will be completely prohibited from November 21, 2026 (Article 39 (1) (d)).
  • Mixed municipal waste. The export of mixed municipal waste from the EU is generally prohibited (Article 4(3); Article 11(1)(h); Article 39(1)(c); Article 44(1) in conjunction with (2)(f)).
  • Obligation to audit facilities. From May 21, 2027, all exports from the EU will be subject to a newly introduced audit obligation for the recovery facility in the country of destination (Article 46(3)).

Imports into the EU

  • Prohibition on the import of waste for disposal. Under certain conditions, consent may be granted following prior written notification (Article 50(1)). Additional procedural provisions apply (Article 51).
  • Prohibition on the import of waste for recovery. Exceptions to this include imports from countries that are subject to the OECD Decision or are parties to the Basel Convention, provided that the necessary provisions and conditions are complied with (Article 52).
  • Mixed municipal waste. The import of mixed municipal waste into the EU for recovery purposes is permitted.

Financial guarantee or equivalent insurance – new calculation tool

The implementation of EU Waste Shipment Regulation 1157/2024 will also make it easier to determine the amount of the financial guarantee or an equivalent insurance in Austria. In future, this will be possible even before submitting an application, using a calculation tool available on the website of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management.

Details and updated templates

From spring 2026, more detailed information on waste shipment and updated samples and templates will be available on the website of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management.