NACE 38 – Waste Management and Recovery | Public Tenders
NACE 38 Waste management: public contracts for refuse collection, waste treatment and recycling. CPV codes, contracting authorities and typical tenders.
Definition: NACE 38 covers the collection, treatment, disposal and recovery of waste — from household refuse collection through sorting plants to recycling processes. Waste management is a high-volume area of municipal tendering across all administrative levels.
Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: January 2026
What does NACE 38 cover?
NACE 38 (Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery) covers the entire value chain of waste management — from collection through recovery or final disposal.
| Group | Title | Typical services |
|---|---|---|
| 38.1 | Waste collection | Household refuse collection, bulky waste collection, recyclables collection (paper, glass, metal), commercial waste collection |
| 38.2 | Waste treatment and disposal | Waste incineration, mechanical-biological treatment (MBT), landfill, hazardous waste treatment |
| 38.3 | Materials recovery | Sorting plants for recyclables, scrap and metal recovery, composting, anaerobic digestion |
Public Tenders – Waste Management
Public authorities typically award waste management services as service concessions or service contracts with long durations:
- Household refuse and biowaste collection (area-wide contracts for municipalities and districts)
- Operation and maintenance of recycling centres and resource recovery facilities
- Supply and maintenance of waste containers (bins, containers, underground systems)
- Hazardous waste disposal for authorities and public institutions
- Construction and operation of waste treatment facilities (thermal recovery, sorting plants)
- Street cleaning and winter road maintenance (often tendered jointly)
Relevant CPV codes
| CPV code | Title | Application |
|---|---|---|
| 90500000 | Refuse and waste-related services | Refuse collection, disposal |
| 90511000 | Refuse collection services | Waste collection services |
| 90512000 | Refuse transport services | Waste transport |
| 90513000 | Non-hazardous refuse and waste treatment and disposal services | Treatment and landfill |
| 90514000 | Refuse recycling services | Recyclables recovery |
| 34928480 | Refuse and waste containers and bins | Container procurement |
Contracting Authorities
- Districts and independent cities as the bodies responsible for waste management
- Municipal waste management undertakings (e.g. AWM Munich, MA 48 Vienna)
- Waste associations and special-purpose associations
- Municipalities for local collection and cleaning services
- Federal and state authorities for hazardous waste disposal on their own premises
FAQ
How long do typical waste collection contracts run? Disposal contracts are typically awarded for 5–10 years; concessions may run up to 20 years. Given the high investment costs (vehicle fleets, infrastructure), longer terms are permissible under procurement law if objectively justified.
Can municipalities perform waste management themselves or must they tender? In-house awards to municipally owned entities are permissible without tendering under the conditions of § 108 GWB (control comparable to an internal department, predominant activity for the public authority). Where private companies hold stakes, this privilege does not apply.
- NACE E – Water supply, sewerage, waste: Parent section
- NACE 37 – Sewerage: Wastewater treatment
- NACE 39 – Remediation activities: Remediation measures
Last updated: January 2026 All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.
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