New regulation for Waste Officers published – Requirements on specialist knowledge will be extended::
The “Second regulation on the further development of legal waste monitoring” was published on 07.12.2016. It will enter into force on 01.06.2017 and includes (in addition to the new regulation for disposal companies) the new regulation for waste officers. This means the previous regulation for waste officers from 1977 will finally be replaced.
The category of companies who are obliged to appoint a waste officer has been extended. In addition, the quantity thresholds have been specified: for example, operators of systems requiring approval according to the German Federal Emissions Control Act (BImSchG) are affected if there is an accumulation of more than 100t of hazardous dangerous waste or more than 2.000t of non-hazardous waste per calendar year in their plants. In future, hospitals and clinics will only have to appoint a waste officer if there are more than two tonnes of hazardous waste per calendar year.
Newly added to the category of those who are obliged to appoint are “owners” within the meaning of the German Recycling and Waste Management Act (§ 27 KrWG) (e.g. manufacturers and distributors who take back packaging, electrical equipment, batteries and other waste) as well as the operators of varying return systems.
So far, there have been no defined specific requirements placed on the reliability and specialist knowledge of the waste officer. The new regulation determines exactly which qualifications and experience a waste officer must have. Up-to-date technical expertise is also required. This means that after completing the basic course, participation in a refresher course at least every two years is required. Otherwise, another basic course needs to be attended. In future, all course providers must have their courses accredited by the authority responsible. Basic courses will probably comprise 4-5 days and refresher courses 2 days.
Important: For waste officers who were appointed prior to this regulation entering into force on 1.6.2017, only the requirement on updating the technical expertise will apply. In this case, the next refresher course, which corresponds with the new requirements, must be completed by 1.6.2019 at the very latest. Thus, a previous appointment would facilitate this procedure.
Arqum’s 1-day course for waste officers ensures that waste officers already appointed will continue to meet the requirements on specialist knowledge until mid-2019. You will find the next dates here. We are currently working on the concept for a 2-day accredited refresher course in accordance with the new requirements. We would also be happy to support you in the assessment as to whether the appointment of a waste officer is required and how you implement this from the organisational aspect.
