Sedert 1996 hebben de meeste lidstaten besloten om de communautaire definitie van "afvalstof" over te nemen, maar er bestaan nog steeds verschillen, variërend van zeer specifieke details die praktisch gezien van weinig belang zijn, tot grote afwijkingen ten opzichte van de regelgeving van de Gemeenschap.
Since 1996 most Member States have decided to transpose the Community definition of "waste", however divergences still exist. These divergences are of different nature and range from very specific details with no major impact in practical terms to great deviations from Community law.