Based on Article (24) and Article (25) of the Implementing Regulation of the Waste Management System, issued by the decision of His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture No. 332291 /1/ 1443 dated 18 /10/ 1443 AH, the center has the right to exempt -taking into account the existing regulations- certain waste management activities from some conditions or requirements of the license or permit within a specified geographical area or for a temporary period or from the financial fee specified for this activity.

This document aims to clarify the criteria and controls related to the approval of the exemption claim from the applicant, in addition to the specific forms for that.

These standards and regulations apply to establishments and entities from the public sector, private sector, or non-profit sector that meet the criteria and conditions for exemption.

Entities and organizations from the public or private sector or the non-profit sector may submit a request for exemption from certain conditions or requirements of the license or permit required to engage in waste management activities within a specified geographical area or for a temporary period, or from the financial fees specified for this activity.

The exemption claim is submitted using the approved form (Exemption Claim Form from License or Permit Conditions or Requirements). The applicant must attach all supporting documents for their claim, and the claim is not considered complete unless all required information and documents are submitted with or attached to the claim, after paying the fee for processing the claim.

The General Administration for Licenses and Permits at the center studies the claim and evaluates the reasons and justifications for the exemption request, reviewing the attached documents and papers based on the following criteria:

• A- Nature of the activity or service: This includes assessing whether there is an urgent need to provide the service or not, and the consequences of not providing the service, including evaluating the levels of demand for the service in the specified geographical area according to the comprehensive strategic plan for the waste management sector in the Kingdom.

• B- Applicant: The individual or entity submitting the exemption request from certain conditions or requirements of the license or permit required to engage in waste management activities, including small and medium enterprises, as well as non-profit organizations and institutions.

• C- Geographical scope of the activity: This refers to the geographical area to which the provisions of the Waste Management Law and its executive regulations apply, within the territory of the Kingdom, including internal waters, territorial sea, adjacent area, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf, where certain regulatory, security, or investment reasons may affect the ability of service providers to deliver the required service in that geographical area.

• D- Technical aspects: This includes aspects related to technologies, innovations, and the development of local expertise, where the center can support and encourage the use of technologies or innovations in specific fields or promote knowledge transfer or localization of technologies.

• E- Economic aspects: This includes evaluating the economic feasibility of providing certain services compared to the need to provide them, or the investment aspects of delivering the service, where the center can exempt from certain conditions or requirements of the license or permit or its financial counterpart to encourage investment and reduce costs for investors.

When studying the claim, the General Administration for Licenses and Permits must refer to the relevant departments in the center (Regulatory Affairs, Sector Development, etc.) to obtain their views according to their jurisdiction regarding the reasons and justifications for the exemption request and the criteria established for that.

During the application review stage, the center may notify the applicant to provide any additional information or documents, and if not provided within a period of (15) days, which may be extended once, the application shall be considered permanently invalid without the application fee being refundable, and the applicant may resubmit their application.

Based on the results of the claim study, the General Administration for Licenses and Permits recommends acceptance or rejection of the exemption request.