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Transport of waste

Find out which rules apply for the transport of waste.

Parties wishing to move waste across national boundaries or to act as collector, trader or broker of waste must register under and comply with the general transport conditions and with the EU Regulation on Waste Shipment (1013/2006/EG). The procedure to follow will differ depending on whether the party is moving hazardous (amber-listed) or non-hazardous (green-listed) waste, whether the waste is to be recycled/recovered (R) or disposed of (D), and the destination for the waste. In Belgium, the competent authorities for waste transport are the regional authorities. Their contact details can be found via the links at the end of this page.

Waste transport within Belgium

Waste transport by a third party can only be arranged (as regards a decision about the destination) if such a party is registered as a collector, trader or broker of waste (CTB) in the country/region of activity. Transport companies that are asked to do the actual transport require registration as a carrier of waste. In Flanders, registration as a carrier of waste in another country/region of the European Economic Area is accepted. 
All parties must comply with the transport conditions (see FAQ 2 below).
Waste transfers need to be registered in the waste register of the carrier, of the producer, of the CTB and of the treatment facility. 
A digital waste identification form needs to accompany the transport. This digital waste identification form needs to be delivered by a system approved by OVAM. The approved systems can be found on the dutch website about the identification form. 

Waste transported within the EU or to/from OECD countries

Transporters of waste materials must register as a carrier of waste (in Belgium or in any of the countries in the European Economic Area). If intra-EU transport is arranged by a third party, that party must be registered as a collector, trader or broker of waste, in Belgium. A producer who arranges the disposal of its own waste materials does not have to register. In both cases, the specific transport conditions (see FAQ 2) must be observed.  

Non-hazardous waste for recovery (green-listed waste) can be traded normally and is only subject to the normal controls applicable to commercial transactions. Transport of such waste only requires an Annex VII document. However, if the waste is classified as hazardous waste, if it is transported for disposal or if it is not listed on the Basel waste list, the notification procedure (or amber procedure) must be followed. For shipments under the notification procedure, the notifier is considered to be the collector, trader or broker of the waste. The notification procedure is always initiated in the country where the waste is produced and can only take place after the explicit consent of export, transit and importing countries. A manual on the different procedures and how to correctly submit a notification request is described in the commision regulation. Waste for disposal and household waste cannot be transported outside the European Economic Area. For these waste streams, the European principles of proximity and self-sufficiency apply.  

When exporting waste from Flanders, the notification needs to be initiated in our web application. However, access to the web application is only possible with a Belgian enterprise number and Belgian electronic identity card (or token).  

Import/export to or from non-OECD countries

Transport to a non-OECD country of hazardous waste, waste with Y codes or household waste ashes and waste for disposal is prohibited (Basel Export Ban). Non-hazardous waste can be exported to non-OECD countries if the transport complies with the national rules and regulations of the non-OECD countries. An overview of these national regulations and rules can be found in EU Regulation 1418/2007. The waste transport will then be subject to the normal controls applicable to international commercial transactions. Shippers of non-hazardous waste (under Annex VII) must be registered with OVAM as a collector, trader or broker (unless shipping own waste).

FAQ on transport and registration 

I am handling and/or transporting waste into and/or out of Flanders, do I need a registration and how do I do this?

If you are a carrier of waste acting on the orders of a third party, you need to register as a carrier of waste. If you already have a registration as a carrier of waste in a country withing the European Economic Area (EEA), this registration is accepted in Flanders. 

How to register as a carrier of waste?

  1. Log in in the web portal registrations
  2. If you don't have a login, click on 'create a new login'.
  3. After you have created your login:
  • Click ‘add new company’ – ‘check company’.
  • Continue in the web portal registrations.
  • Select your company.
  • Log in your company as…
  • Select 'carrier of waste' and confirm.

If you organise the transport of non-hazardous waste as the collector, trader or broker, you need to register as a collector, trader or broker of waste (see other FAQ). If the waste is produced in Flanders, the registration can be made via the online desk of OVAM. 

If the waste is not on the green list of the EU Regulation on Waste Shipment (1013/2006/EG), you need to follow the notification procedure as described in the regulation. 

I am handling and/or transporting waste and I am only passing through Flanders, do I need to register?

You do not need to register as a collector, trader or broker of waste in Flanders if you only pass through the Flemish region. However, bear in mind that you do need to comply with the transport conditions* and that you will need to have the right transport documents on board at all times. The carrier of waste needs to be registered. If the carrier of waste is not registered in Flanders, but in another Belgian region or country of the E.E.A. it is recommended that you also have a document on board showing that the waste carrier is registered. (A document provided by one of the Belgian regions or the countries in the E.E.A.)  

* Transport conditions 

What are the general conditions for the transport of waste in Flanders (import, passing through and export)? 

  1. The waste must be properly packaged. 

  1. Carriers of waste and producers of waste who transport their own waste with their own means of transport must keep the different types of waste separated from each other. They must also keep hazardous waste separate from non-hazardous waste. 

  1. It is forbidden to dilute waste.  

  1. The means of transport and the containers (recipients in which the waste is transported) must be technically suitable for the waste that is being transported, must have the necessary inspection certificates and other papers and must be maintained in good working order. 

  1. The means of transport and the containers (recipients in which the waste is transported) must be clean, internally and externally, and in order, to avoid mixing the different types of waste. 

  1. In emergency situations, immediate, effective measures must be taken to limit nuisance and damage to people and the environment. The necessary knowledge, guidelines and resources are available. Under no circumstances may the waste be discharged directly into groundwater, public sewerage or surface water. It must be collected and processed according to the type of waste. 

  1. A carrier of waste or a producer of waste transporting its own waste with its own means of transport may only transport waste if the transport documents accompany the transport. The type of documents required may vary depending on the type of waste (hazardous or non-hazardous). 

Collectors, traders and brokers of waste do not need to register with OVAM for waste that is transported under an approved notification. 

How do I register as a collector, trader or broker?

In case of export of non-hazardous waste from Flanders to another region or country, collectors, traders or brokers of waste need to register with OVAM and comply with all conditions and obligations related to such registration. Note: collectors, traders and brokers of waste do not need to register with OVAM for waste that is transported under an approved notification.

Registration as a collector, trader or broker:

  1. Log in in the web portal registrations.
  2. If you don't have a login, click on 'create a new login'.
  3. After you have created your login:
  • Click ‘add new company’ – ‘check company’.
  • Continue in the web portal registrations.
  • Select your company.
  • Log in your company as…
  • Select ‘waste collector, trader or broker’ and confirm.

If you see a pop-up indicating that you need to request an authorisation code*: click on the link to request the code. The code will be sent via regular postal mail.

* Authorisation code: With an authorisation code OVAM checks if you can access certain information and files of the company you sign in for. As a verified employee, you can also authorise other employees to access these information and files. This code is also required to make changes or to extend a registration. You must register the code once.

After you received the authorisation code, please follow the following steps:

  1. Go to the web portal registrations.
  2. Before you login, select ‘register your authorisation code’ first. 
  3. Enter your code and click ‘register’.
  4. Login your company as…
  5. Select ‘waste collector, trader of broker’ and confirm.

After registering, you can immediately download an extract of your registration in the web portal.
 

As a waste producer, I want to arrange for the treatment of waste. What do I have to do?

The waste needs to be transported by a carrier registered for the transport of such waste. Producers transporting their own waste do not need registration. The destination of the waste must be a facility with proper environmental license(s). Also make sure that the transport is accompanied by the correct transport documents. 

Which documents need to accompany waste transport? What other obligations are there?

Documents to be present during transport are: 

  • Transport within Flanders: identification form. 

  • Transport of waste outside Flanders, type ‘green list’: annex VII. 

  • Transport of waste outside Belgium, type ‘amber list’: movement document and approval of Member States involved. 

Other obligations: producer, handler and treatment facility must keep a register of information about waste transfers. 

My company has a new address, how do I report this?

You can easily change your company’s address, as follows: 

  • Log in to the user management web portal 

  • Go to ‘Manage organisation’ and select your organisation. 

  • Make the changes. 

  • Click ’save changes’. 

How do I cancel/prolong my registration?

You can cancel/prolong your registration by following the steps below: 

  • Click ‘Reactivate a cancelled file’/cancel the file. 

I need a copy of my registration. How do I do that?

In order to obtain a copy of your registration, you can: 

  • Click log in for ‘your organisation’. 

  • Double click on your registration. 

  • Click on the pdf icon on the top right to download your copy. 

I am looking for a list of waste carriers. Where can I find it?

A list of waste carriers is available here. 

What to do when the treatment facility refuses the shipment?

Returns of cross-border shipments (procedure of notification)
When a shipment of waste is refused by a treatment facility, they must immediately inform all authorities involved.
This procedure also applies if problems are identified during transport, for example with the notification document or the movement document. The competent authorities must give permission before a return shipment, reloading or alternative treatment can take place.

In Flanders, this needs to be reported simultaneously to OVAM and to the division Enforcement based on Article 22 of Regulation 1013/2006.

The treatment facility/notifier uses the following e-mail addresses for this: milieuinspectie.EVOA@vlaanderen.be  and inuit@ovam.be.
The e-mail contains information about the reason for rejection or why a shipment cannot be completed as planned. A copy of the movement document is attached to the e-mail.

OVAM will confirm that the return shipment can be done using the same movement document if division Enforcement agrees with this and no further enforcement action is required.
In case of an illegal shipment, a new (simplified, short procedure) notification will be needed.

The return can only take place after all authorities involved gave their consent.

Transboundary movement of waste

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