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University of Padua IMAGE Department |
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EU Council Directive 1999/31/EC |
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European Directives fix overall objectives, general criteria and procedures, some important particular obligations or exclusions and the time for reaching the objectives. Member States and/or Local Administations establish law and regulations with technical annexes in order to make possible the landfill realization and operation. |
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The Landfill Directive: • Defines three classes of landfills and establishes the general requirements • Fixes waste acceptance criteria and procedures at various classes of landfills and the treatments non acceptable in landfills and the waste to be accepted in different classes of landfills • Decides that biodegradable waste going to landfills must be reduced, by steps in 15 years, to 35% of the 1995 amount • Gives recommendations to Member States about: a) the procedures for application of a permit for a new landfill, the conditions to be fulfilled for obtaining the permit and the contents of the permit b) the controls and monitoring procedures in the operational phase c) when and how a landfill should be closed and the obligations and responsibility of the operator during aftercare period d) how the above rules are to be applied to existing landfills Landfilling: Types Several types of landfills exist categorised as to waste in-put: • Landfills for hazardous waste • Landfills for non-hazardous waste - Mixed organic and inorganic waste landfills: - Inorganic waste landfills: • Inert waste landfills EU General Requirements for all Classes of Landfills 1. The location o the landfill must take in account: - the distance from urban sites, residential areas, waterways, water bodies, agricultural sites - groundwater, coastal water natural protection zones - geological and hydrogeological conditions of the area - the risk o flooding, subsidence, avalanches - the natural and cultural patrimony o the area 2. All but inert landfill designs must assure water and leachate control in order to: - control water from precipitation or from surface or from ground entering into the landfill body - collect and treat leachate and contaminate water 3. Soil and water must be protected: - Geological barrier and bottom liner must be designed in order to prevent soil and groundwater pollution - Landfill base and sides must show low permeability in relation to landfill class 4. Produced gas must be controlled in order to - avoid gas accumulation and migration - collect and use gas for producing energy, or flare it 5. Measures shall be taken to minimise nuisance and hazards like: - odour emission - wind blown materials - noise and traffic - birds and insects - fires EU Waste Acceptance and Procedures • Composition, leachability, long term behaviour of waste to be landfilled must be known as precisely as possible • Member States should set list of waste to be accepted or refused at each class of landfill • Criteria for acceptance must be derived by considering: - protection of surrounding environment - protection of the landfill barriers - protection of the designed waste stabilization process within the landfill - protection against human-health hazard • Examples of waste property-based criteria are: - limitation of the amount of organic matter - limitation on the biodegradability of organic waste - limitation on the potential leachability of specific/hazardous compound EU Controls and Monitoring Procedures in operation and aftercare • Member States should supply data on the collection method for meteorological data • Water balance should be used for evaluating if leachate is building up in the landfill body • Sampling of leachate and surface water must be collected with specific frequency at representative points • Gas monitoring must be done for each section of landfill • Monitoring of groundwater likely to be affected by discharging o leachate must be regularly performed • Settling behaviour of the landfill body should be yearly monitored |