Hazardous Materials Handling — the Legal Foundations
Activities involving chemical and hazardous materials in Georgia are regulated by the Law of Georgia on Environmental Protection, which governs the use of chemical agents in the environment, the ecological requirements for products and the rules for the placement of waste. This page explains which norms apply to agricultural chemicals, how the law protects foodstuffs and widely consumed products, and where the placement and burial of waste is permitted — and where it is prohibited.
The legal regime of hazardous materials handling is built in three directions: first, the norms for the use of chemical agents in the environment, which also regulate the transport, storage and use of these substances; second, the ecological requirements for products; and third, the ecological requirements for waste, including radioactive and other hazardous waste.
Norms for the Use of Chemical Agents
The norms for the use in the environment of mineral fertilizers, plant protection products, growth stimulants and other chemical agents are established in such a way that no danger is created for human health, the world of plants and animals, or the soil. This is the fundamental safety condition to which every subsequent detailed rule is subordinated.
The norms for the use of chemical agents — including chemicals for plant protection and soil fertilization — and the rules for the transport, storage and use of these substances are developed once every 5 years and approved by the ministry by regulation, in agreement with the ministry responsible for labour, health and social protection. This means the normative basis is periodically renewed, and entities working with chemicals must follow the changes within the five year cycle. In addition, for the purposes of the optimal use, consumption, risk reduction, accounting and control of chemical substances, a unified state registry of chemical substances is established, with the procedure for its compilation determined by Georgian legislation. The registry gives the state a systematic view of what substances circulate in the country and in what quantities.
Ecological Requirements for Products
The handling of hazardous substances is not confined to the field of their use — it reaches the product itself. In the production, transport and storage of widely consumed products, the permissible limit norms of harmful impact on the environment and human health must be taken into account. This means that at every stage of the product's commercial flow — from the factory to the shop shelf — the same ecological standard applies.
A special regime applies to foodstuffs: the permissible limit norms for the quantities of chemical substances in food products are established by the procedure determined by Georgian legislation. This requirement of food safety is an instrument for the protection of health, and for the manufacturer it means that any chemical component must remain within the permissible limit — a compliance duty that accompanies the product throughout its shelf life rather than only at the moment of release.