A residential or commercial compound, or an office tower, produces large amounts of waste every day, and the variety grows with the restaurants, cafés, shops and clinics inside it. Waste management in compounds is no longer left to the operator's discretion: the Waste Management Law sets explicit obligations for residential and commercial compounds. This article explains those obligations, the elements of a working waste system, and what must be decided at the design stage.
An explicit obligation in the law
Article 12 of the Waste Management Law states that residential and commercial compounds and government administrative bodies must contract with a licensed service provider, as specified by the regulation. This sits alongside the waste producer obligations in Article 11: rationalizing the use of materials and resources, reusing products, reducing waste, storing it in designated places and sorting waste that can be reused or recycled.
A service provider under the law is a person licensed or permitted by the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) to carry out a waste management activity. Contracting an unlicensed collection truck does not meet the legal obligation.
Ownership of waste and the compound's responsibility
The law states that ownership of waste passes to the State when it is placed in or next to designated containers, or at a public storage or safe disposal site. Before that point, the compound is responsible for storing, sorting and handing over waste lawfully. The law holds waste producers and service providers liable for any harm to the environment or public health caused by their waste management, and makes anyone who deposits waste with an unlicensed person jointly liable.
Elements of a working waste system
- Enough collection rooms and containers: closed, ventilated, easy to clean and away from entrances and food areas.
- Sorting at source: organic, recyclable (paper, cardboard, plastic, metal) and hazardous (batteries, lamps, cleaning chemical containers).
- A contract with a licensed provider: with a regular collection schedule that prevents piling up and odors, covering every waste type in the compound.
- Obligations for commercial tenants: restaurants manage frying oil, grease and grease traps; shops separate packaging; clinics manage medical waste through a carrier licensed for it.
- Documentation: quantities, collection dates and carrier documents.
- Awareness: signs for residents and staff on sorting and container locations.
Special waste streams in a compound
| Source | Waste | Correct route |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafés | Frying oil, grease trap fat, organic waste | Separate collection by a licensed party, with documented trap cleaning |
| Clinics and pharmacies | Medical waste, expired medicines | A carrier licensed for medical waste, with separate temporary storage |
| Maintenance | Lamps, batteries, paint and chemical containers | Separate collection as hazardous waste |
| Residents and offices | General, recyclable, electronic | Sorting into dedicated containers; electronics to a licensed recycler |
Decisions made at the design stage
The size and location of waste rooms, the collection truck route and loading point, the number of containers per stream, and separating waste routes from resident routes are all hard to change after construction. The Environmental Permits Regulation requires environmental impact assessment to be considered in feasibility studies and preliminary designs, and large compound projects go through an environmental file that covers waste management in operation.
The compound's wastewater plant
Some compounds outside the sewer network have a small treatment plant that produces sludge needing storage and transport by a licensed party. Sludge is a hazardous waste sub-activity in MWAN's collection and transport conditions, so it belongs in the compound's waste plan.
Frequently Asked Questions about Compound Waste Management
Is contracting a licensed carrier mandatory for a compound?
Yes. Article 12 of the Waste Management Law requires residential and commercial compounds to contract with a licensed service provider, as specified by the regulation.
Who is responsible for the compound's waste, the owner or the tenants?
The operator is responsible for the overall system and the contract with the service provider, and obliges commercial tenants in their leases to manage the waste of their own activities.
Is sorting mandatory?
The law requires waste producers to sort reusable or recyclable waste and place it in designated places, with the types set by the regulation. Separating hazardous waste from general waste is essential in any case.
How often should waste be collected?
Depending on quantities and waste type, on a regular schedule agreed in the contract with the licensed provider that prevents piling up and odors.
How Abak Green helps
We prepare the compound's waste management plan from design to operation: quantity estimates, room and container locations, requirements for the provider contract, tenant obligations and documentation templates, and we follow implementation under the annual compliance contract. Contact us about your compound.
