The advice comes in a newly published guide by the Agency ahead of new landfill regulations which come in to force in July 2005.
Called A Better Place, the guide gives detailed advice about the sending of waste to landfill, looking at issues such as waste that is prohibited from landfill, the waste acceptance criteria and the treatment of waste.
”If the price of paper falls, and the paper therefore has to be landfilled, the waste nevertheless meets the requirements of the regulation.“
– Environment Agency
The report states that operators of landfill sites should “ensure that the landfill is only used for landfilling waste which is subject to prior treatment.”
For waste to be classed as treated it must pass a three point test:
- The treatment must be a physical, thermal, chemical or biological process
- It must change the characteristics of the waste
- This must be done in order to reduce its volume, reduce its hazardous nature, facilitate its handling or enhance its recovery.
According to the Environment Agency the separation of waste is done in order to enhance recovery. Waste that is separated will only be counted as treated if part or all of the waste is recovered.
Markets
But, the report states: “In some cases, there may be an intent to enhance recovery that is not realised. This may be due to fluctuating market conditions. For example, paper and plastic may be segregated with a view to the recycling of the paper. If the price of paper falls, and that the paper therefore has to be landfilled, the waste nevertheless meets the requirements of the regulation.
“A physical process has been applied which changed the characteristics of the waste in order to enhance recovery. However, in such cases landfill operators should seek documented evidence of the intent to recover and of the changed circumstances,” it explained.
The Agency goes on to explain that it would normally expect, following sorting or segregation of materials, one or more of the separated streams would then be further treated before landfill.
The report explains: “If the separate streams are all landfilled without treatment then the third criterion will not have been met – there will have been no reduction in quantity or hazardousness, no enhancement or recovery. One of the separated streams must be treated.”
The document has also given guidance on action that should be taken when landfill operators and companies taking waste to landfill are unsure about the environmental effects a substance can have.
Chemicals
“Chemical substances arising from research and development or teaching activities which are not identified and/or are new and whose effects on man and/or the environment are not known. So these substances could not be deposited in a non-hazardous landfill, because it is not known whether it is hazardous or non-hazardous, or whether it is a waste type allowed by the permit,” said the report.
The full text of the report is available as a PDF on the Environment Agency website
Register for free to comment