This Federal Act prescribes that the purposes of waste management are aimed at: avoiding or keeping as low as possible harmful or adverse effects on humans, animals and plants and their environment; keeping emissions of air pollutants and climate-relevant gases as low as possible; conserving natural resources (raw materials, water, energy, landscape, land); reducing hazard potential of the waste obtained from recycling materials. In respect of precautionary principle and sustainability, the Act establishes the following hierarchy concerning waste management: waste prevention, preparation for reuse, recycling, other kinds of recovery, elimination.
The Act gives definition and explanation of the relevant terms, also including all mineral, synthetic and industrial oils. It consists of 91 articles, divided into 10 Parts, as follows: General provisions (1); Avoidance and recycling of waste (2); General obligations of waste owners (3); Waste collectors and treaters (4); Collection and recycling system (5); Treatment plants (6); Cross-border shipments (7); Treatment orders and review (8); Transitional provisions (9); Penalty and final provisions (10).
The Act encloses six Annexes, concerning: examples of waste prevention measures, treatment method, determination of specific criteria, list of substances related to danger control in case of serious accidents, strategical environmental assessment plan.