Ownership of municipal waste

Abstract

The information disseminated by the media on planned and implemented changes in the waste management system recently gave rise to a widespread thesis that municipalities would take over ownership of municipal waste. This statement, repeated many times, has become imprinted in the public consciousness. It has even entered the language used in law, serving as a kind of mental shortcut. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to analyse on its meaning to determine whether it really reflects current state of affairs. The purpose of this article is to present the conclusions of the legal analysis of the title to waste due to individual legal entities involved in the process of waste management.

At first glance, a reflection on the ownership of municipal waste appears to be void of any significance to the legal or economic extent. However, the conclusions derived from it are not completely free from practical implications, be it, for example, in the event of a theft of waste. At the background of such reflections lies waste management being a real challenge to the modern world, and, at the same time, a profitable sector of the economy. There is big money that may be generated from waste removal, management and subsequent recycling. The report prepared by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch in April 2013 ‘No time to waste – global waste primer’ estimates the global market for municipal waste amounting to about 410-430 miliard US dollars, and the broadly understood waste management sector (including radioactive waste, medical waste or garbage incinerators) to one billion US dollars.