Request the extension in the final year, never after

The General Law for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste (LGPGIR) requires an authorisation from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) for the transport of hazardous waste and, more generally, for providing hazardous waste management services to third parties (Article 50, sections I, IV and VI). Authorisations are granted for a fixed term and may be extended under the Regulation (Article 53); they may be transferred only with SEMARNAT's prior written consent and if the conditions under which they were granted still hold (Article 51). For third-party services SEMARNAT requires a guarantee sufficient to cover possible damage, and it may revoke the authorisation if the guarantees are not renewed (Articles 81 and 82).

The application is filed on SEMARNAT's form with the details in Article 48 of the Regulation; carriers provide only the information in its sections I and II, plus a description of the waste, how it will be collected and transported and the vehicles to be used (Article 49, section IX), and submit the documents in sections I and II of Article 50 of the Regulation together with the proposed insurance or guarantees and copies of the federal transport authority's permits (Law, Article 80, sections IX and X; Regulation, Article 50, last paragraph). The decision period for collection and transport is thirty working days (Regulation, Article 55, section II). The authorisation states, among other things, the authorised activity, the waste covered, its number and its validity (Article 56, sections III, IV, VI and VII).

Authorisations for reuse, recycling, co-processing, treatment, incineration, operation of collection centres or transport are valid for ten years (Regulation, Article 58, section II). They may be extended for periods equal to the original one if the request is filed in the last year of validity and up to forty-five working days before expiry, the activity is the same, the waste has not changed and the applicant is the holder (Article 59, sections I to IV). SEMARNAT decides within thirty working days and, if that period passes without a decision, the extension is deemed granted (Article 59, third and fourth paragraphs). Changes are requested on SEMARNAT's form; a change of company name only needs a notice with the notarised shareholders' minutes (Article 60).

Collection and transport providers must check labelling and packaging, have a contingency plan and emergency equipment, trained staff, request and sign the generator's manifest and observe waste compatibility (Regulation, Article 85); the manifest circulates as an original and two copies among generator, carrier and recipient (Article 86). SEMARNAT suspends the authorisation if documents are forged or the original is altered (Article 62) and revokes it, among other grounds, for false information, for breaching waste management rules or for failing to renew guarantees (Law, Article 52).