The Hazardous Chemicals & Waste Department handles the following responsibilities:
1- Establish the regulations and technical requirements for licensing, trading, importing, exporting, storing, transferring, and packing hazardous chemicals and waste in the State of Qatar, in line with international standards.
2- Study and evaluate permit applications for operations with practices involving working with hazardous chemicals and waste. In this context, the Department is also responsible for carrying out adequate inspections, issuing permits, and estimating appropriate durations for said permits.
3- Work with international bodies to stay updated on prohibited and/or restricted hazardous chemicals and their impact on the environment, and, accordingly, take the necessary measures to devise a mechanism to treat said chemicals on the national level.
4- Enact the relevant environmental standards, plans, and programs to treat hazardous chemicals and address their impact on the environment in the course of their transfer, packing, storing, and production. The Department is also responsible for maintaining safety and prevention protocols in line with internationally applied standards.
5- Establish and maintain a database on hazardous chemicals and waste in Qatar in coordination with the relevant bodies.
6- Evaluate requests to dispose of hazardous waste, and identify the adequate requirements and sites for processing and treating hazardous waste in coordination with the relevant bodies.
7- Design the ‘National Program for Chemical Safety’ and devise its plans and programs side-by-side with the relevant government agencies.
8- Establish and implement a system to track hazardous chemicals and waste in coordination and collaboration with the relevant administrative units and government agencies, while also submitting up-to-date reports and figures on those chemicals.
9- Carry out regular and surprise inspections of facilities, operations, and activities with practices involving working with hazardous chemicals and waste. Relatedly, the Department is also responsible for detecting and reporting violations.
10- Stay updated on the international instruments on hazardous chemicals and waste and the protocols put in place to treat such chemicals, and ensure the State of Qatar is upholding its obligations to said instruments.
11- Fulfill the technical obligations and pledges of the State of Qatar to the international agreements on protecting the ozone layer and their subsequent agreements, while also staying on top of the plants adopted and implemented by international bodies and their subsidiaries.