Latest Changes as a Consequence of the Landfill Directive

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Latest Changes as a Consequence of the Landfill
Directive

• John Hill
• Senior Environment Officer (Waste)
• Dales Area

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Landfill Directive A Brief Recap

• The EU Landfill Directive (LFD) first impacted UK
  landfill sites from 16 July 2001
• First transposed into UK legislation on 16th July
  2002
• Further requirements introduced in 2004 and 2005
• Aims to reduce the negative impact of landfilling
  waste and promote waste recycling and recovery.
• By placing controls on what waste is accepted at
  landfills.
• how they are designed, constructed and managed

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Key Changes For Landfill Include

• Landfills classified as hazardous, non-hazardous
  and inert
• Preventing the co-disposal of hazardous wastes
  with other wastes
• Reduction in the amount of biodegradable waste
• More prescriptive engineering standards
• Ban on the disposal of certain wastes to landfill
  for example, liquid wastes, explosive, corrosive,
  oxidising, highly flammable and flammable wastes
• Treating waste prior to landfill

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Objectives of the Landfill Directive

• Reduce negative impacts of landfill on the
  environment
• Consequences for waste producers and
  managers are
• Some wastes are banned
• Co-disposal banned
• Diversion of biodegradable municipal
  waste
• Strict limits for hazardous waste
• Waste must be treated

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Estimated annual waste arising by sector in the
UK 2003
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Waste arising by disposal in the UK, 1998 - 2003
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New Requirements

• As from 30 October 2007
• 2 further requirements for non-hazardous
  landfills
• Ban on the landfilling of non hazardous liquid
  waste
• Treatment of non hazardous waste prior to
  landfilling

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What is Treatment?

• Treatment defined using a 3 point test.
• Must
• be a physical, thermal, chemical or biological
  process, includes sorting
• change the characteristics of the waste
• do so in order to
• reduce its volume or
• reduce its hazardous nature or
• facilitate its handling or
• enhance recovery

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Purpose of Treatment

• Good for the environment
• identifies and separates wastes for recycling
• reduces impact when landfilled
• No waste acceptance criteria for non hazardous
  waste before landfilling
• Much of the waste already treated - no need for
  further treatment

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Treatment what to do

• Treat your waste by either
• collection of separate waste streams
• recycle at least one of these
• having your contractor treat the waste
  before landfilling
• sorting and subsequent recycling or
• the use of advanced technologies eg MBT, Thermal
  treatment or Anaerobic Digestion

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Responsibilities of Waste Producers

• You can either
• Treat waste yourself or
• Ensure a later holder treats it before
  landfilling
• Do not have to treat the waste yourself, can
  buy this service
• Good practice to complete a written declaration

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NO
New Rule does not apply
Is the waste Landfilled?
YES
Satisfies new rule
Is the waste already treated?
YES
NO
Treat the waste before landfill and advise the
contractor of the details
YES
Can you treat the waste?
NO
Ask your contractor to treat the waste
Waste Management in the UK is changing rapidly,
and you should regularly review it whether you
could choose a better option for treating and
disposing of it.
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Treatment - Some Examples

• A florist decides to keep paper and cardboard for
  recycling. They also decide to look at whether
  they can have any old flowers composted.
• A small bakery already keeps clean paper and
  cardboard separate for recycling. As part of
  their existing environmental management system
  they have identified an opportunity to start
  recycling plastic as well.
• A plumbing firm decides to keep any metal
  separate for recycling by a scrapyard. They
  might also be able to get any rubble they produce
  separated for hardcore by a contractor.
• A restaurant decides to separate glass from
  general waste and send it for recycling. The
  restaurant might also be able to keep clean
  cardboard packaging for recycling.

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Responsibilities of Collectors and other Waste
Holders

• Provide evidence of treatment
• Commercial confidentiality
• Decisions on Multiple collections

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Ban on Liquid Wastes

• What is waste in liquid form?
• i) Any waste that near instantaneously flows into
  an indentation void made in the surface of the
  waste or
• ii) A waste load containing free draining liquid
  substance in excess of 250 litres or 10 of the
  load volume, whichever represents the lesser
  amount.
• Free draining - a liquid as defined in (i),
  irrespective of whether that liquid is in a
  container

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Ban on Liquid Wastes (2)

• Producers should
• Review how you manage your wastes
• Ask yourselves
• Do I need to produce this waste stream?
• If the liquid waste cannot be eliminated what is
  the best way of dealing with it?
• Who is best placed to treat it, yourselves or a
  contractor or a utility company

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Ban on Liquid Wastes (3)

• Many liquid wastes are already treated by
  discharging to sewer or sent to a waste treatment
  plant
• Landfill operators should be making it clear that
  they cannot accept liquid waste after 30 October
  2007

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Our Approach

• We intend to
• Implement new requirements in a fair
• and proportionate way
• Advise waste producers
• to adapt their waste management practices
• to improve their environmental performance
• Improving management systems and waste acceptance
  procedures across the waste management industry
  sector

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What have we done so far?

• Establish project team
• Produced guidance
• Liaised with Industry and Trade Associations
• Advertised changes to Operators (and Water
  Companies), Major Retailers, Local Authorities
  and Industry etc
• Compliance Plan - priority waste streams
• Monitoring pre and post October

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Agency Information Guidance

• Guidance on Treatment of non-hazardous wastes for
  landfill, Feb 07
• Guidance on Diverting non hazardous liquid wastes
  from landfill, May 07
• Briefing Notes on
• Treatment of non-hazardous wastes for landfill
• Diverting non hazardous liquid wastes from
  landfill
• Implementing the Landfill Directive ban on the
• landfilling of non-hazardous liquid waste
• Factsheets for general business, landfill
  operators,
• waste carriers, inert waste, contaminated soils
  and municipal waste.
• Frequently asked questions, V2
• Web address www.environment-agency.gov.uk/landfil
  ldirective
• Phone no. 08708 506506

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You can get to this page in 2 clicks. From the
Agency home page select Waste on left of
page, 3rd hyperlink from bottom From the next
page select New rules for non-hazardous waste
second last hyperlink in the main body of the text
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Other Advice

• Trade Associations options for common wastes in
  your sector
• Envirowise waste reduction and waste management
  
• www.envirowise.gov.uk
• Netregs complying with environmental
  legislation.
• www.netregs.gov.uk
• Your Waste Management Provider

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Key Messages

• Non Liquid Waste Pre-Treatment - not concerned
  about technical breaches
• Non Hazardous Liquid Wastes - we will enforce
  against people who deliberately flout the new
  rules.
• www.environment-agency.gov.uk/landfilldirective.
• or call us on 08708 506506
• Will you have a problem with your liquid waste
  after October?

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Summary Information Available

• Treatment of non-hazardous waste for Landfill
• Guidance notes
• Fact sheets
• Landfill operators
• General Business
• Waste Carriers, brokers and transfer stations
• Treatment of inert waste
• Contaminated soils
• Municipal waste
• FAQ

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• ?
• QUESTIONS