Landfill has been the dominant waste management option in the UK for many years. The European Directive 1999/31/EC on the Landfill of Waste (Landfill Directive) has wide reaching implications for those producing, collecting and disposing of waste.

The Directives overall objective is to:

  “prevent or reduce as far as possible the negative effects on the environment, in particular the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil and air, and on the global environment, including the greenhouse effect as well as any resulting risk to human health, from the landfilling of waste, during the whole life-cycle of the landfill”.

Historically the UK has practiced what it known as co-disposal, whereby hazardous and non-hazardous wastes would be landfilled together within the same landfill. From the 16th July 2004, landfills were classified as either hazardous, non-hazardous or inert. Hazardous sites can only accept hazardous waste, non-hazardous can only accept non-hazardous waste and inert sites, only inert wastes. (For more on classification of waste see hazardous waste)

There are also certain wastes that are banned by the Directive from going into any class of landfill site and these are:-

• Liquid wastes
• Wastes that are explosive, corrosive, oxidising, highly flammable or flammable in landfill conditions 
• Infectious wastes
• Whole used tyres were banned from 2003
• Shredded tyres from 2006
• Wastes which do not meet specified Waste Acceptance Criteria (wastes for hazardous and inert sites must meet limit values if they are to be landfilled)

Waste must also be subjected to a form of treatment before they enter a landfill, unless this would not help achieve the aims of the Directive.

The Directive places more stringent engineering and operation conditions on landfill operators and requires them to apply for and obtain a permit stipulating the conditions the landfill site must achieve.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the Landfill Directive for the UK is the targets for the progressive reduction of biodegradable municipal waste being sent for disposal in landfill. EU wide targets were established for 2006, 2009 and 2016 for reduction of biodegradable municipal waste. As the UK started from a point where over 80% of this waste was being landfilled in 1995, a 4 year derogation on these targets was available and the UK biodegradable waste targets stand as:

• By 2010 the biodegradable waste landfilled must be reduced to 75% of that produced in 1995.

• By 2013 the biodegradable waste landfilled must be reduced to 50% of that produced in 1995.

• By 2020 the biodegradable waste landfilled must be reduced to 35% of that produced in 1995. (If by 2016 target can be reached, the derogation will not be used for this target.)

The UK has adopted a Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme to help achieve these targets. Whereby those Authorities who are exceeding their reduction requirements can sell the landfill allowances they do not require, to those Authorities who will not achieve the reduction. This is aimed at ensuring UK wide compliance in the most cost effective manner.

The Landfill Directive has already made major changes to the waste management industry and increased diversion of waste from landfill is steadily increasing.

Useful Links

English and Welsh Regulations

Scottish Regulations

Northern Ireland Regulations

EU Landfill Directive

Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme Credits Estimator

DEFRA

Environment Agency

SEPA

Hazardous Waste

Envirowise

NetRegs