This Law aims at developing a comprehensive framework for the management of municipal solid waste
Subject to other laws, this Law shall apply to all processes relating to separation, collection, transport, sorting, and processing of municipal solid waste and the safe disposal thereof.
In this Law, the following terms shall have the meanings assigned thereto, unless the context requires otherwise
Ministry: Ministry of Municipál and Rural Affairs.
Minister: Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs.
Competent Bodies: Municipalities, sub-municipalities, and municipal councils.
Relevant Authorities: Ministries and government agencies relevant to this Law
Contractor: A natural or legal person contracted by the Ministry or bodies in charge of management of municipal solid waste.
Waste Producer: A natural or legal person who produces municipal solid waste.
Municipal Solid Waste: All materials dumped or disposed of which are of no benefit to the producer, such as household waste, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste administrative waste, industrial waste, green waste, litter, and healthcare waste; with the exception of hazardous industrial or healthcare waste.
Commercial and Administrative Waste: Waste produced by shops, commercial centers, shopping centers, restaurants, recreation centers, hotels, and all administrative establishments such as schools, universities, ministries, and other administrative offices.
Green Waste: Waste produced by green areas, plants, and trees of public and private gardens and parks, as well as by trimming and maintenance activities.
Large Waste Items: All types of waste that are large by nature and are difficult to collect with other components of municipal solid waste such as automobile parts, tree trunks, furniture items, and household electrical appliances.
Construction and Demolition Waste: Waste resulting from construction, maintenance, demolition, and leveling activities, as well as waste resulting from road paving activities and the like.
Hazardous Industrial Waste: Waste resulting from industrial activities which may contain solvents, degreasers, radioactive substances, colorings (ink), sludge, acids, alkalis, industrial substances, or waste other than municipal solid waste
Hazardous Healthcare Waste: Waste produced by various healthcare establishments, laboratories, medical research centers, pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers, and veterinary. centers, as well as home treatment and nursing, which originates from sources that are polluted or potentially polluted by infectious, chemical, or radioactive agents, and which poses risk to public health and the environment during the production, collection, handling, storage, or disposal thereof.
Municipal Solid Waste Management: Managing the separation, collection, transport, storage, sorting, recycling, processing, and final disposal of waste, including supervision of said processes and close monitoring on final disposal sites as well as research and studies thereon.
Separation at Source: Separation at source of different types of municipal solid waste which can be reused or recycled.
Collection: Collection of municipal solid waste from collection sites by trucks and vehicles designed for this purpose.
Transport: Transport of municipal solid waste by approved means of transport to interim stations, sorting and processing facilities, or sanitary landfills.
Sorting: Separation of municipal solid waste components such as paper, glass, metal and other components at interim stations or sorting and processing facilities for recycling or processing purposes.
Recycling: Preparation of municipal solid waste to restore or reuse such waste as raw materials in manufacturing processes
Processing: Alteration of the properties of municipal solid waste after sorting in order to reduce its size or facilitate the handling thereof upon reusing or recycling.
Storage: Storing the components of municipal solid waste, or part thereof, for future use.
Final Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste: Depositing municipal solid waste that cannot be reused or recycled at sanitary landfills.
Interim Station: A facility used as a part of or a stage in the process of transporting municipal solid waste to waste processing or sorting sites or facilities, or final disposal sites to reduce transportation costs.
Sorting and Processing Facilities: Facilities to which municipal solid waste is transported in order to be sorted, processed, and prepared for reuse as raw materials in manufacturing processes.
Sanitary Landfill: An area of land where municipal solid waste is buried according to approved technical standards to avoid its hazardous impact on public health and the environment.
Incineration: The disposal of components of municipal solid waste by means of open or controlled combustion chambers (incineration), with or without energy recovery.
Law: Law of Municipal Solid Waste Management.
Regulations: Implementing Regulations of the Law.
The Ministry shall undertake the duties and responsibilities of managing municipal solid waste; such duties and responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Improving the standard of health, safety, and well-being of populations of cities and villages in the Kingdom by providing municipal solid waste services and managing the same.
2. Developing a national strategy for municipal solid waste management to serve as a framework for institutional and technical work, and submitting the same in accordance with statutory procedures.
3. Regulating the execution of urban cleaning and municipal solid waste management projects in a manner that serves public interest, and maintaining the cleanliness of cities and villages and the safety of the environment.
4. Examining and identifying the various requirements and needs, developing the necessary programs and plans for municipal solid waste management, and monitoring the execution of relevant projects.
5. Building capacities, developing relevant departments at municipalities and sub- municipalities, and providing them with information, and developing training programs.
6. Identifying the facilities, buildings, or sites the owner or user of which is directly responsible for the collection of waste.
7. Setting necessary design standards for establishing sanitary landfills for the disposal of municipal solid waste, ensuring their compliance with legal requirements and specifications, and adopting international technical and environmental standards in the management, operation, and assessment of said landfills.
8. Granting incineration permit in accordance with relevant specifications, requirements, and environmental controls.
9. Raising environmental awareness and developing and executing appropriate programs to raise community awareness on the importance of maintaining public health and sanitation, reducing waste, and adhering to relevant regulations on municipal solid waste management.
10. Developing an emergency plan in coordination with relevant authorities, municipalities, and sub-municipalities to manage municipal solid waste in cases of emergency or extraordinary circumstances.
11. Proposing studies, adopting leading projects in the field of municipal solid waste management, proposing amendments to this Law to keep abreast of rapid developments in management, and creating a national database therefor.
12. Examining various alternatives to fund municipal solid waste management in a manner that ensures financial sustainability.
13. Determining the useful life of sanitary landfills, methods of their maintenance and closure, and the future utilization of the landfill and facilities thereof.
14. Setting rules and requirements in coordination with relevant authorities for the export of municipal solid waste.
15. Developing a litter reduction plan in coordination with competent bodies.
16. Designating locations for waste containers and developing a mechanism for separating recyclable waste from other types of waste.
17. Encouraging the private sector to engage in municipal solid waste management.
18. Licensing the private sector to engage in municipal solid waste management; the Regulations shall set the licensing terms and requirements.
Producers of municipal solid waste shall comply with the instructions of the Ministry and competent bodies which regulate municipal solid waste management processes, in particular the following:
1. Exercising due diligence to minimize produced waste.
2. Exercising due diligence to maximize the reuse and recycling of produced waste.
3. Disposing of municipal solid waste in designated containers without causing harm to others, and complying with the relevant rules.
4. Complying with rules governing the use of municipal waste containers.
5. Complying with rules governing the stacking, storing, and disposing of municipal solid waste.
6. Refraining from disposing of hazardous healthcare or industrial waste or animal carcasses or remnants thereof in containers designated for municipal solid waste.
7. Disposing of large-sized waste in sites designated by the competent bodies.
8. Depositing green waste in properly sealed watertight plastic bags and transporting them to sites designated by the competent bodies.
9. Depositing waste set for recycling in the designated containers after separation and sorting, and depositing non-recoverable waste in other containers.
10. Maintaining the cleanliness of the area surrounding their place of residence or place of business, as well as any building they own, rent, use, manage, or operate.
11. Refraining from disposing of municipal solid waste in valleys or paths of flash flood, wells, beaches, sewers, or rainwater drainage networks.
A natural or legal person may not use or allow the use of a land, building, or facility owned or controlled thereby for the disposal of municipal solid waste except after conducting environmental assessment studies and obtaining the approval of the Ministry or the competent bodies.
Producers of construction and demolition waste shall place such waste in designated containers and transport them to designated sites or hire qualified contractors for this purpose.