European Commission Directives for Environmental Protection Regarding Waste

A number of other European Commission (EC) directives provide for stringent operational and management controls for waste management facilities, in order to ensure a high level of protection for the environment. Future new facilities developed in response to this plan must have regard to the measures and requirements set out in these directives, which are implemented through Northern Ireland legislation.

This directive specifically addresses the definition of, and provisions for, hazardous wastes. This is implemented in Northern Ireland through the Special Waste Regulations (NI) 1998.

This aims to achieve an integrated approach to protect the environment as a whole from pollution arising from certain industrial activities, including waste facilities. It is concerned with applying the concept of Best Available Techniques (BAT) to prevent or reduce emissions into air, water and land. It also focuses attention on techniques to make best use of resources, raw materials and energy and to minimise waste.

The activities listed for control in the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) directive include waste management facilities such as:

• landfills receiving more than 10 tonnes per day or with a total capacity exceeding 25,000 tonnes (excludes landfills of inert waste)
• installations for the disposal or recovery of hazardous wastes with a capacity exceeding 10 tonnes per day
• installations for the incineration of municipal waste with a capacity exceeding 3 tonnes per hour
• installations for the disposal of non-hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 50 tonnes per day

The aim of this directive is to prevent or to limit as far as practicable negative effects on the environment, in particular pollution by emissions into air, soil, surface water and groundwater, and the resulting risks to human health, from incineration and co-incineration of waste. The directive incorporates operational, control and monitoring requirements and details air emission limit values for substances released into the air from the combustion process.

This directive on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, as amended by directive 97/11/EC, requires the consideration of the impact of development on the environment prior to the granting of planning permission for a proposed development. Projects affected by the directive include waste management facilities as listed below:

Projects specified in Schedule 1 require an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in all circumstances. These include the following types of waste facility:

• waste disposal installations for incineration, chemical treatment or landfill of hazardous waste
• waste disposal installations for the incineration or chemical treatment of non-hazardous waste with a capacity exceeding 100 tonnes per day
• waste water treatment plants with a capacity exceeding 150,000 population equivalent

Schedule 2 projects require an EIA if the applicable thresholds and criteria specified are met and the development is likely to have significant effects on the environment due to nature, size or location. Schedule 2 projects (unless included in Schedule 1) include:

• installations for the disposal of waste if the disposal is be incineration or the area of the development exceeds 0.5 hectares, or the installation is to be sited within 100 metres of any waterway or water in underground strata or marine waters
• wastewater treatment plants if the area of development exceeds 1,000 square metres
• sludge-deposition sites and storage of scrap iron, including scrap vehicles if the area of the deposit or storage exceeds 0.5 hectares or a deposit is to be made or scrap stored within 100 metres of any waterway or water in underground strata or, marine waters. The directive is implemented in Northern Ireland by the Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (NI) 1999.