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Transfrontier shipment of waste

Regulating the movement of waste between EU Member States and between the EU and other countries is a large and complex business. It is referred to as "transfrontier shipment", or TFS.

Movement of waste between member states is subject to EU regulation (Council Regulation 259/93 of February 1st 1993 on the supervision and control of waste within, into and out of the European Community (TFS Regulation).  This Regulation is supported in Irish law through Statutory Instruments under the Waste Management Act 1996.  S.I. Nos. 147 and 149 of 1998

The lists

Some wastes are more strictly controlled than others. The regulation sets out a system for the classifying waste into three lists:

  • The green list: In broad terms, green listed wastes are non-hazardous and easily recyclable, such as paper and plastic. These wastes may move across international borders within the EU without having to request permission or advance notification.
  • The amber list: When green wastes are mixed ("co-mingled"), they become amber listed wastes. They then do require pre-notification and prior written consent before they can be exported. Consequently as a waste becomes somewhat more difficult to recover or somewhat more hazardous it goes onto the amber list.
  • The red list: This covers particularly dangerous wastes.


Who must be notified

A competent authority is responsible for the processing of TFS Notifications received from other countries.

In the Republic of Ireland this responsibility is divided between import and export notifications: 

  • The Environmental Protection Agency is the competent authority for waste being imported into the country or passing through to another destination.
  • Local authorities are the competent authorities for the export of waste from Ireland

For queries relating to the import and transit of waste, contact our TFS Section at:

P.O.Box 3000
Johnstown Castle Estate
Wexford
Phone No. 00 353 (0) 53 91 60600
Fax No. 00 353 (0) 53 91 60666
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Learn more

Find out about the EPAs classification on railway sleepers under TFS Regulation 259/93.

Check a list of competent authorities for TFS in other countries

Read about the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) and Hazardous Waste List (HWL) waste classification systems across the EU.

Read the UK Environment Agency's useful guidance document on the TFS Notification procedure

Find out about the Basel Convention to tackle the problem of "toxic traders" shipping hazardous waste to developing countries and to Eastern Europe.