Landfill of waste: minimum standards

1) CONTENT 1. The directive classifies the various kinds of waste by 'type' on the basis of their origin or characteristics, whereas the different types of waste disposal site are categorised by 'class'. 2. 'Municipal waste', 'industrial waste', 'hazardous waste', 'mono-landfill', 'operator' and so on are all defined. 3. The directive lays down the requirements the different classes of installation must meet to avoid polluting the environment. 4. As regards the authorisation procedure, the directive covers the application, conditions and content of the permit required to set up and operate a facility. The permit may be amended in agreement with the competent authority, and the proposed facility must be compatible with the waste disposal programmes set up for the region. 5. The directive defines the types of waste a facility may not accept because of the problems they are likely to cause within the installation and the possible risks to the adjoining area and public health. Only liquid waste compatible with other waste or the site operating procedures is accepted. 6. Waste dilution (mixing different types of waste) in order to meet the criteria of acceptability for disposal is prohibited except where the interaction process affecting the different types of waste produces benefits. 7. In order to channel the different types of waste for disposal to the appropriate class of installation, it is important to apply the same acceptance criteria based on the characteristics of the eluates (solutions obtained from simulated laboratory leaching tests) and the compatibility of the different types of waste in the case of mixed disposal. The directives lays down the elution and compatibility criteria. It also lays down the rules for disposing of waste in a mono-landfill and for the mixed disposal of certain waste with municipal waste. 8. The directive lays down the obligations incumbent on the operator and the procedures for the acceptance of waste at the site. The operator is responsible, among other things, for carrying out a programme of sampling and analysis of the waste delivered in accordance with the provisions of Annex III. 9. The directive requires the implementation of a monitoring programme, as set out in Annex IV, by the site operator during the waste processing and subsequent management stages. Where the operation of the site results in damage to the environment, corrective measures are to be taken and the costs borne by the operator. 10. The conditions and procedures required for the closure of a site are laid down, as are the after-care procedures. 11. A site operator has civil liability for environmental damage caused by the waste disposed of at the installation, regardless of whether there is fault on his part. 12. Existing installations may continue to operate so long as the future operation of the remainder of the site meets the conditions laid down in the directive. Once the directive has entered into force, the operator has five years to bring the site into line with the directive's requirements. 13. The cost of disposing of any type of waste in an installation must cover all the costs of setting up and operating the site as well as the estimated costs of closure and after-care. 14. The operator is required to provide a financial security designed to cover the estimated costs of closure and after-care. The establishment and administration of after-care funding by the competent authorities of the Member States provide an additional financial instrument. 15. The Member States are to provide the Commission with an annual report on waste disposal to help determine an appropriate waste management policy. 2) OBJECTIVE Harmonisation of environmental legislation and waste disposal methods in the Community in order to establish a high level of environmental protection, in particular in relation to land and to groundwater and to prevent the creation of polluted sites. Source: European Commission - Info92 08/95�