Hazardous Waste Regulation — Definitions, Requirements and Fines
The regulation of hazardous waste in Georgia is defined by the Waste Management Code, and its foundation is the precise definitions of terms: what waste is, which waste is hazardous and which is not, who an operator is and what waste management means. This page assembles the definitions, the core requirements for hazardous waste, and the fines for violating registration rules.
The definitions are not a formality. Under the Code, waste is any substance or object which the holder discards, intends to discard or is obliged to discard; hazardous waste is waste possessing one or more of the characteristics provided for by the relevant annex to the Code. Hazardous character is therefore established by defined characteristics and not by assumption — which makes classification the first substantive compliance decision for any waste stream.
The Key Terms Governing Every Operation
The Code explicitly defines every link of the management chain. The waste generator is the person whose activity results in the generation of waste, or the person who changes the composition of waste; the waste holder is the generator or another person holding the waste; the transporter is the person carrying out transportation; the operator is the person granted the right to manage waste collection, a temporary storage facility or a processing facility. Waste management encompasses collection, temporary storage, pre processing, transportation, recovery and disposal, supervision of these activities, and the aftercare of disposal facilities.
The definition of the temporary storage facility also contains time limits: a facility where waste is stored for less than 3 years if the waste is destined for recovery, or less than 1 year if destined for disposal, save for exceptions determined by the government. These limits are linked to sanctions as well, since exceeding a period counts as a violation of the registration conditions. Alongside these, the Code defines specific waste — waste from products which, due to their characteristics and wide distribution, require specific management measures after becoming waste, such as packaging, oil, tyres, motor vehicles, batteries, accumulators, electrical and electronic devices — the category through which extended producer responsibility operates.