New rules mean that from October 2007 non-hazardous waste must be treated before it is disposed of at a landfill site and liquid waste will be banned from any landfill. These originate from the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, SI 2002 No. 1559, as amended, e.g. by the Landfill (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2005.

Treatment is defined by a three-point test, and all criteria must be satisfied for the waste to have been treated. The criteria are that the treatment must:
1. Be a physical, thermal, chemical or biological process including sorting
2. Change the characteristics of the waste
3. Change the waste to reduce its volume or hazardous nature, facilitate its handling or enhance its recovery.

If you are a waste producer you are not obliged to treat the waste yourself – many will simply buy this service from a waste contractor. However, it is good practice to complete a written declaration stating:
 Whether you have treated the waste
 The type of treatment that has occurred (if any)
 If relevant, the amount of waste sorted out for recovery or alternative treatment

You then need to decide whether to either treat the waste and provide information about the treatment for subsequent holders, or ensure that a subsequent holder will treat the waste before it is landfilled.

Landfill operators need to ensure that waste is treated prior to accepting it on-site. These organisations will need to check whether a waste has been treated, for example by:
 Discussions with the producer or contractor about the nature of the waste and any contractual arrangements regarding its treatment;
 Checking the paperwork accompanying the load, including a written declaration from the producer or holder that the waste has been treated;
 Initial visual inspection plus inspection following deposit;
 Auditing the producers arrangements for treating the waste.

To help with these new obligations, the Environment Agency has produced new guidance, Treatment of non-hazardous wastes for landfill. Part A explains the requirements of the Regulations while Part B provides suggested methods on how certain wastes can be dealt with. The guidance is available in pdf format from:
http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/pdf/GEHO0207BLWJ-e-e.pdf?lang=_e

Source: www.environment-agency.gov.uk (accessed 05/03/07)

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 7:37 am and is filed under Environmental News, Industry News, in Touch Legislation Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.