Wastes and waste management
Finnish waste legislation covers all types of waste except certain special wastes such as radioactive wastes, which are controlled by separate laws. Finnish waste legislation is largely based on EU legislation, but in some cases includes stricter standards and limits than those applied in the EU as a whole. Finland also has legislation on some issues related to wastes that have not yet been covered by EU legislation.
For more information on wastes and their environmental impacts see the web pages on the state of the environment. Statistics on the generation and management of wastes in Finland are compiled by Statistics Finland.
The Ministry of the Environment supervises and controls the way Finnish waste legislation is put into practice.
The Finnish Environment Institute conducts research and training, publicises new ideas and methods, and monitors all developments related to waste issues, while also participation in drawingup new legislation and guidelines related to waste. The Institute also monitors international waste shipments.
Centres for economic development, transport and the environment guide, encourage and monitor the implementation of the Waste Act in their own regions. They also provide training and advice for firms and the public, and issue waste permits to larger firms and operations. The national authority responsible for producer registration and other related issues is the Centre for economic development, transport and the environment for Pirkanmaa.
Local authorities organise the collection, recovery and disposal of household refuse and other similar waste, and supervise waste management in general in their own area. They also set local regulations on waste management, ensure that advice on waste matters is freely available, and issue waste permits to smaller firms and operations.