Definition of waste

According to the UNEP definition, waste is a substance or object that has been or is to be disposed of because it is unnecessary or must be disposed of under the provisions of national legislation. The Slovak legislation defines waste as a movable object which the holder disposes of, intends to dispose of or is obliged to dispose of in accordance with the law or special regulations. Annex 1 to Act No 223/2001 classifies waste as, for example, products for which the holder no longer has a use, products that do not correspond to the required quality, products that have passed their guarantee period, deteriorated or contaminated materials, equipment, waste from cleaning operations, packaging materials, containers, unusable parts, waste from industrial processes, etc.

Waste treatment

The collection of waste, the transport of waste, the recovery of waste and the disposal of waste, including the care of the disposal site, are collectively referred to as waste management. Segregated waste collection means that the waste stream is separated according to the type and nature of the waste in order to facilitate its specific treatment. This also involves recycling. That is, an activity leading to the recovery of waste by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances intended for their original purpose or for other purposes. It includes the reprocessing of organic material, but excludes energy recovery and reprocessing into materials to be used as fuel or for backfilling activities.