Evolution of regulations related to solid waste management in Uruguay

Abstract

Environmental protection in Uruguay has the highest legal hierarchy: it has been declared to be of general interest in article 47 of the Constitution of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, in the Section on Rights, Duties and Guarantees, following the constitutional reform of 1997. The General Law on Environmental Protection (No. 17,283) was approved on November 28, 2000. Through its article 21, the protection of the environment against any impact that could result from the management and disposal of waste is declared to be of general interest. Regarding waste regulations in Uruguay, the first regulations date back to the late 1990s. Subsequently, regulations have been approved independently to provide solutions to specific issues, also seeking to assign responsibilities to the different protagonists participating in the life cycle of the different types of waste that seek to be regulated by each regulation. Priority, current regulations seek to position waste management as a primary factor in environmental improvement, and to organize and plan the management of different types of waste, with the main objective of minimizing and recovering waste compared to other alternatives. This document presents a chronological compilation of national regulations related to solid waste management, with a brief description of the context and the regulations in question.