Article 29 of the Saudi Waste Management Law

This is the most severe penalty in the Law, and it concerns the most serious acts.

Criminalized acts: anyone who does one of the following:

• Storing waste.
• Burning it.
• Treating it.
• Sinking it.
• Disposing of it in any way.

Condition: that this is done in a way that poses a danger to public health or harm to the environment. Storing or treating in themselves are not a crime, but they become one if done in a dangerous or harmful way. Either of the two is enough: danger to public health or harm to the environment.

Penalty:

• Imprisonment for no more than ten years.
• A fine of no more than SAR 30,000,000 (thirty million riyals).
• Or either of these two penalties.

The two figures are maximums, so the actual penalty is assessed by the judiciary within them. The article begins with the phrase "without prejudice to any more severe penalty provided for in another law", so if the act is punishable by a more severe penalty in another law, this Law does not prevent it from being applied.

Procedure: Article 30 provides that the Public Prosecution investigates and prosecutes these violations before the competent court. Article 28 regulates the work of inspectors in detecting violations.

Anyone accused under this article should consult a lawyer specialized in criminal matters.