Article 20 of the Saudi Waste Management Law

This article gives the Minister, who under Article 1 is the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and chairman of the Center's board, or his delegate, the power to take precautionary measures, on condition that this is done after coordinating with the relevant bodies. There are two measures:

1- Activating the emergency plan relating to carrying on waste management activity, in cases of necessity or exceptional circumstances, as the Implementing Regulations specify.

2- Suspending the activity, and the text sets controls for this measure:

• The suspension is partial or total, as the case may be.
• Its duration is no more than thirty days.
• It applies where a violation is detected that requires urgent action to avert a disaster, so the mere existence of a violation is not enough.
• It is accompanied by referring the violator to the body competent to investigate him.

The suspension here is an urgent precautionary measure and not a final penalty, since it is limited in time and followed by an investigation.

This article is connected to Article 21, which requires a service provider, in the event of emergency incidents or serious errors, to notify the Center and submit a report on the causes of the incident and the measures taken. Article 19 deals with importing and exporting waste.

Anyone who is the subject of a suspension decision and wants to know where they stand should consult a lawyer specialized in administrative matters.