Waste - National Responses (Norway)

Waste management is regulated in various ways, and there is interplay between regulation at central and local levels. The central government authorities set the general framework, leaving municipalities and industry with a relatively free hand to design local collection and treatment solutions.

Important waste policy instruments

The authorities have put in place a number of instruments (e.g. legislation, taxes, and economic incentives) targeted at the municipalities, business and industry.The most important waste policy instruments are:

• municipal responsibility for household waste
• business and industry responsibility for dealing with the waste they generate, including the collection and appropriate treatment of certain types of waste products, such as ee-waste, packaging, cars, tyres, batteries, lubricant oil and PCB-windows
• regulation of landfilling and incineration according to EU legislation
• tax on final disposal of waste to landfills
• waste management plans as a mandatory element of all building projects, as part of municipal administrative procedures
• from 1 July 2009 landfilling of biodegradable waste was prohibited

The instruments in the waste area contribute in a positive direction, particularly in relation to achieving reduced emissions from waste treatment. More stringent requirements, for example, provide better control of runoff ofhazardous substancesfrom landfills.

Theeffectof the policy instruments is expected to increase. This particularly applies to initiatives that require re-adjustment by the municipalities, businesses, and a change in people’s habits and customs.