No space shortage, say hazardous waste site operators

The companies, who came together in a grouping which they have called the “Hazardous Waste Landfill Forum” believe that there is sufficient capacity to handle hazardous waste in the short term.
Speaking following the meeting, consultant Alan Potter of Beyond Waste said: “If you look at the permitted capacity there would appear to be sufficient space to accommodate the needs of industry in the short term and then clearly as more capacity comes forward the needs of the market will be accommodated. That does presume there will be sufficient capacity provided that regulatory conditions don't create market failure.”

Common aim

Mr Potter added: “The meeting was an excellent example of industry and Agency working together towards a common aim. The Agency's recognition of the importance of establishing a dialogue with these few operators who have stepped forward to take on the challenge of providing hazardous waste landfill capacity for the UK is most welcome. What is needed now is courageous leadership and sensible decision-making. We look forward to an ongoing dialogue with the Agency and Government to ensure impediments to making capacity available are readily identified and rapidly resolved.”

At the end of the meeting the operators agreed a 4 point plan:

• The Environment Agency must get tough in its enforcement of both Special Waste Regulations and the European Waste Catalogue to ensure that producers classify hazardous waste correctly; and ensure operators of inert and non-hazardous waste landfills do not accept hazardous waste unwittingly. Enforcement and monitoring must be at producer and disposal end to be effective.

• The Environment Agency must improve its performance in processing and issuing permits and approvals if industry is to respond rapidly to market demand and capacity (treatment and disposal) be delivered in time for meeting the full WACs in July 2005. ‘Knee jerk’ regulation undermines industry confidence. It is essential the learning curve we are all on be acknowledged when monitoring compliance against the emerging permits.

• DEFRA must not permit its decision not to impose the full WACs in the interim year to be implemented before UK industry is ready.

• DEFRA must hold its nerve and not relax the rules. Capacity will be available to serve the market providing operators have confidence that the rules will be implemented and enforced.

Permits

Companies represented at the meeting by the group included five companies with permits issued (with proposed inputs in tonnes per year): Integrated Waste Management which is a subsidiary of Waste Recycling Group (WRG) at the Winterton site in North Lincolnshire, 250,000 tonnes; Hills Waste of Wiltshire at Purton Brickworks, 59,000 tonnes; Zero Waste at Port Clarence, North Yorkshire, 100,000 tonnes; Atlantic Waste which has had its permit issued but is temporarily closed at King's Cliffe, East Anglia 249,000 tonnes.

Also involved were companies with permits pending including Brock plc in Crewe (75,000); J Routledge and Sons at Skelmersdale (150,000); Alco Waste Management at Distington, Cumbria, 100,000 tonnes; and Grundon at Cheltenham (120,000).