In France, the Grenelle I decree, based on the 2008 EU directive transposed into French law by the opinion of the French Council of State (fr. Conseil d’Etat) of 12 December 2010, states that incineration can serve either as means of energy recovery or non-energy recovery purposes, and defines the conceptual system of the individual steps of waste management. There are four levels of waste treatment: reuse (Fr. réutilisation); recycling (Fr. recyclage); recovery (Fr. valorisation); and disposal (Fr. élimination). The concepts of recycling, reuse and disposal have been redefined in this legislation, and waste and ‘product’ have also been redefined (waste can once again become products, while the old 1975 law did not provide for this reclassification). The Directive recalls the responsibilities of the producer and the holder of waste: the producer is responsible for the management of waste until it is recycled or destroyed, but in certain cases there is a provision for breach of responsibility (for example, when a facility is transferred to a third party). All this contributes to sustainability. In Italy, the environmental legislation contains only a few provisions that specifically regulate waste management. This is the Italian Environmental Law (Legge 2002-179 Disposizioni in materia ambientale). Article 24 of the law contains the rules on medical waste. Article 25(2) provides for an exception for organic waste from human food waste mixed with domestic water, which is treated with food waste disposal devices that reduce the mass of fine particles, after the plants and networks have undergone a technical inspection by the management body. In the case of Italy, subcontracting, which is one of the important dogmatic elements of contractual waste management regulation, is reminiscent of the German regulation in the old and new Italian Codice civile (1865 and 1942) in that the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (1896) does not contain the rules of subcontracting (Ger. Subunternehmen) separately in German law. In the case of Spain, the relevant EU waste management directives serve as the basis for waste management. In the Kingdom of Spain, there is no single environmental law, but various environmental legal and administrative laws, which are the following: Law 1989-4 on the protection of nature reserves, wild animal and plant species (Sp. Ley 1989 - 4 de Conservación de los Espacios Naturales y de la flora y fauna silvestres); Law 1995-38 on the right of access to environmental information (Sp.Ley 1995 - 38 sobre el Derecho de Acceso a la Información en materia de Medio Ambiente); Law 5 of 1995 on the Protection of Animals (Sp. Ley 1995 - 5 de Protección de los animales); Provincial Law 5 of 2000 on the Designation of the Region of La Rioja and its Water Management (Ley 2000 - 5 de saneamiento y depuración de aguas residuales de La Rioja); Law 2000-37 on Noise Pollution Control (Ley 2003 - 37 del Ruido); Law 2007-26 on Environmental/Environmental Legal Responsibility (sp. Ley 2007 - 26 de Responsabilidad Medioambiental); Law 2013-21 on Environmental Impact Assessment (Ley 2013 - 21 de Evaluación Ambiental). All of these serve sustainability, sustainable development. In the case of Portugal, the relevant EU waste management directives serve as the basis for waste management. In the case of Portugal, there is no single environmental law, but various environmental legal and administrative laws, which as follows: Decree-Law 151B - of 31 October 2013 - approving the legal regime for environmental impact assessment (AIA) for public and private projects likely to have significant effects on the environment; Law 2097 of 1959 on the principles of promoting fishing in inland waters (Port. Lei 1959 - 2097 Lei de Bases do Fomento Piscícola nas Águas Interiores); Law 11 of 1987 on environmental principles (Port. Lei 1987 - 11 Lei de Bases do Ambiente); Decree-Law 1998-236 on water quality (Port. Decreto-Lei 1998 - 236 Lei da qualidade da agua); Decree-Law 2007-306 on the regulation of water intended for human consumption (Port. Decreto-Lei 2007 - 306 Lei establece o regime da qualidade da água destinada ao consumo humano); Law 58 of 2005 on water (Port. Lei 2005 - 58 Lei de Agua). These rules contribute to the achievement of sustainability. In the case of Romania, certain issues of waste management law are addressed by the Law 137/1995 on Environmental Protection (Rom. Legii protectiei mediului nr. 137/1995. Law 1995-137. on Environmental Protection), which largely builds on the ‘polluter pays’ principle and sustainable development as a framework law. Organised waste collection has been basically only available in cities, 95% of them, since 2000. According to the law, the import of any type of waste, raw or processed, is prohibited, in accordance with the rules proposed by the central environmental authority and approved by the government, except for certain categories of waste that constitute secondary resources for useful raw materials. The transit and export of waste may take place in accordance with agreements and conventions to which Romania is a party. Local administrative authorities are obliged to take measures to prevent and limit the impact of any substance or waste on the environment and to notify the territorial environmental authorities of any activity that does not comply with the legislation. Certain powers relating to waste are exercised by the customs authorities (§§ 15-20).

Koi G. (2020a). Környezetgazdálkodás és jogi szabályozás a frankofón államokban: környezet, jog, fenntarthatóság. [Environmental management and legal regulation in Francophone countries: environment, law, sustainability.]. (Unpublished manuscript). (Budapest: Author’s own publication). 12-15.