National and Local Policies and Laws

National Solid Waste Policies and Laws

Each country may formulate policies and laws broadly for environmental protection, or solid waste in
general, or specifically to address certain waste streams or practices. For example, Peru’s General Law
on Solid Waste Management addresses all aspects of solid waste management, from generation to
final disposal.

Many countries have specific laws that address specific waste streams or specific waste disposal
operations. For example, Japan has separate laws to address recycling food waste, construction waste,
end-of-life vehicles, home appliances, and packaging.

National laws encourage local governments to adhere to common social and environmental standards.

Here are some examples of national solid waste policies.

Country Solid Waste Policy & Laws

Australia
Waste Policy
Brazil
National Policy on Solid Waste
Indonesia
Waste Management Law, 2008
 Law for Promotion of Utilization of Recycled
Japan
Resources, 1991
 Specific laws on different waste types
Philippine
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act
Peru
General Law on Solid Waste Management
South Africa
Waste Act, 2008
Sri Lanka
Solid Waste Act, 2011

United States of America Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 1970

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Countries with Waste Regulations
The table here, according to data from What a
% of Countries with Defined
Waste 2.0, shows that approximately 86% of Income Group
SWM Laws/Guidelines
countries reported the existence of an official
national law or guidelines that govern solid waste High-income 96
management, though enforcement varies drastically.
Around 3% of countries lack a specific law, and data Upper-middle
is not available for another 10%. 84
income
Lower-middle
Low-income countries mostly lack specific laws on 89
income
waste management as solid waste management is
often primarily addressed by municipalities or even Low-income 60
communities. The vast majority of countries without
data on waste legislation are in Sub-Saharan Africa,
where laws are still being developed. Total 86

Local Waste Regulations

Local rules and regulations are commonplace, because responsibility for executing solid waste
management services typically falls on local governments. Direct central government involvement,
other than regulatory oversight or fiscal transfers, is uncommon.

About 70% of waste services are overseen directly by local public entities, with the remainder
administered through other levels of government, inter-municipal arrangements, mixed public-private
entities, or private companies.

Local regulations generally cover specific aspects of waste management, like:

 Source separation
 Household and commercial fees
 Disposal sites
 Bans on plastic or other materials
 The institutions and agencies that are responsible for implementing waste operations and
initiatives

Here, it’s important to keep in mind that national, state, and local laws must all be in harmony with each
other and must all be coordinated. For instance, if a local government is preparing regulation on a
particular waste aspect, it must make sure that the regulation is in compliance and follows what the
national and state regulations or guidelines provide.

Here are a few examples of local and state waste regulations:

1. In San Francisco, a plastic bag ban was implemented that led to a 72% decrease in plastic litter
on local beaches from 2010 to 2017.
You can view this video on San Francisco’s policy to be a zero-waste city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDMgMvcCm6w

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 2. In the state of Karnataka in India, the state solid waste management by-law places the onus of
disposal on the generator. For instance, all public events have to put down a refundable
“cleanliness deposit” to make sure organizers collect, segregate, and transport waste within 24
hours after the event is completed.

Cities with Waste Regulations

Most cities have some solid waste management rules and regulations.

Out of the 368 cities reviewed in the World Bank’s What a Waste 2.0 publication, 223 reported the
presence of official solid waste management policies, while 18 reported a lack of policies, and data
were not available for 127 cities.

The vast majority of cities without data on waste legislation are in Sub-Saharan Africa, where laws are
still being developed.

Number of cities with Number of cities Number of cities

defined solid waste without defined solid without
Region
management rules waste management available
and regulation rules and regulation information

East Asia and Pacific 32 0 8

Europe and Central Asia 51 6 34

Latin America and the Caribbean 20 5 14

Middle East and North Africa 19 0 10

North America 6 0 0

South Asia 74 6 3

Sub-Saharan Africa 21 1 58

All 223 18 127

Source:
 Wikipedia. n.d. Waste management law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management_law
 UNEP. 2017. Asia Waste Management Outlook.
http://www.rrcap.ait.asia/Publications/Asia%20Waste%20Management%20Outlook.pdf
 Public-Private-Partnership Legal Resource Center. 2018. Solid Waste Laws and Regulations. World Bank.
https://ppp.worldbank.org/public-private-partnership/sector/solid-waste/waste-laws-regulations
 Pereira, A. n.d. National Solid Waste Policy- Brazil.
http://www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/Pereira-Brazilian-Waste-Policy.pdf
 World Bank. 2018. What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050.