ESTONIAN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 2009

9. Waste
In the field of waste, the years 2004–2007 were characterized above all by changes occasioned
by Estonia’s accession to the European Union in 2004. A new Waste Act came into force then, along
with the Packaging Act and legal acts established on their basis. The waste management situation was
also impacted by rapid economic growth. Increased production of oil shale energy and oil, industrial
output and consumption led to increased amounts of waste generated.
Noteworthy changes in the restructuring of the field of waste handling included a consistent reduction
in the number of landfills not in conformity with environmental requirements, the increase in
the waste recovery rate (including packaging waste), development of collection of municipal waste by
category and the successful implementation of the deposit system for beverage packages. The waste
transport system organized by local governments does not yet cover all local governments, but it has
made it possible to expand waste transport services to rural areas. There has been investment into a
network of waste stations (regional waste collection and sorting facilities) that allowed inhabitants
to return recoverable waste free of charge. The hazardous waste collection network has grown, with
new waste recovery stations and new collection points.
New legislative provisions in the field of products of concern and packaging and the entry into force
of EU directives has expanded implementation of the principle of producers’ responsibility. Legal
acts have also promoted the creation of producers’ responsibility organizations that act on behalf of
manufacturers to create collection networks for collection and recovery of waste electric and electronic
equipment (WEEE), used tyres and packaging. There has also been an increase in the number
of end-of-life vehicle collection and demolition points conforming to environmental requirements.
Changes in the development of waste treatment have led to innovations in accounting for waste,
and collection and processing of data on waste.
9.1. Legal background
Strategic objectives for the waste sector are established
based on the general European Union and Estonian
environment policy, the main goal of which is to avoid
waste generation and promote recovery, including reuse
and recycling. The development of waste treatment in
2004–2007 has been primarily based on the Riigikogu’s
national waste management plan approved in 2002. In
2008, the Government approved a new waste management
plan that sets forth general development areas in
the waste management sector up to the year 2013. The
strategic objectives for the waste sector, measures for
achieving them and indicators for measuring performance
derive from these documents. In the field of legislation,
the Waste Act should be mentioned; it sets forth general
requirements for waste prevention and the avoidance of
health and environmental hazards stemming from waste,
along with waste management procedures for reducing
the hazardousness of waste and liability for violation
of the requirements. The Waste Act also stipulates the
precise extent and conditions of the principle of waste
transport organized by local governments. The national
packaging waste collection and recovery system is based
on the Packaging Act adopted in 2004.
9.2. Waste generation
Over the years, the amount of waste generated has
increased; the greatest growth has taken place with regard
to non-hazardous waste in the last five years, crossing the
20 million tonne mark in 2006 (figure 9.1). The generation
of hazardous waste has been relatively stable from one
year to the next, averaging 7 million tonnes a year.
In 2003–2007, over 80% of waste was generated in
industry, with 72% of all waste generation comprising
waste related to the oil shale industry and energy sector
(figure 9.3). A significant share of industrial waste was
generated by the timber industry and cement industry
and this waste was largely directed to recovery.
The primary reason for the increase in amounts of waste
is general economic and commercial growth. The relative
change in GDP compared to waste generation shows that
waste generation has grown less than economic growth
(figure 9.2). Energy production based on oil shale is and
will continue to be the most waste-intensive industrial
sector in Estonia, as long as technology and production
volumes do not undergo major change (figure 9.3).
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