2.4 The EU Landfill Directive

The EU Landfill Directive is one of the key drivers behind the National Waste Strategy: Scotland. The Directive imposes environmental and engineering standards for landfills across Europe and will ban the landfilling of many substances that are disposed of in this way at present. The Directive also requires a progressive reduction in the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) and the pre-treatment of wastes before landfilling, to reduce waste volume and minimise the environmental impact of disposal. This will assist in the reduction of landfill gases, such as methane, which are significant contributors to global warming.

2.4.1 Diversion of Biodegradable Municipal Waste

The Directive establishes national targets and timescales for the reduction of BMW to landfill. Where member states are particularly dependent on landfill they will be allowed to defer the implementation of the target dates by up to four years. It is expected that the UK will take advantage of this derogation. The UK has to report to the European Commission by July 2003 giving details of how the targets will be met and a decision on whether to extend the target dates will be taken then. In developing this AWP the assumption has been made, on consultation with the Scottish Executive, that the 4-year delay will be taken.

Including the 4-year delay the amount of BMW allowed to landfill will be (depending on whether the 4-year delay is used) as follows:

• 75% of 1995 levels by 2006 or 2010 including derogation.
  

• 50% of 1995 levels by 2009 or 2013 including derogation.
  

• 35% of 1995 levels by 2016 or 2020 including derogation.

It is the intention to reach these targets earlier wherever possible.

What will this mean for the Tayside area?
Using the 1999 waste arisings figures for the Tayside area and assuming two projection rates, nil growth (Table 2.1) and 2% annual growth (Table 2.2), the following tables show the BMW diversion from landfill that will be required for each of the target years. The figures have been calculated on the basis that the UK will take advantage of the 4-year delay.

Table 2.1 - BMW Diversion Required with 0% Growth

Table 2.2 - BMW Diversion Required with 2% Growth

(1) Municipal Solid Waste - see key acronyms
(2) Estimated by splitting 2.8 million tonnes for Scotland proportionally amongst the local authorities using waste arisings for 1998 to allocate each authority’s proportion. Scottish Executive still to advise on method of calculation, which could significantly alter the amount of waste to be diverted.
(3) Biodegradable municipal waste - see key acronyms

2.4.2 Landfill Permits

A key mechanism in controlling the amount of BMW each local authority will be allowed to landfill in future will be a system of Landfill Permits. The Scottish Executive will decide if local authorities will be able to trade their allowances, although it will be the responsibility of each local authority in the Waste Strategy Area Group to determine how to use the permits allocated to them. This would allow local authorities in areas where the additional costs of BMW diversion from landfill are disproportionately high or where landfilling is the agreed best practicable environmental option (BPEO) to ‘buy permits’ from other local authorities which are exceeding their individual BMW landfill diversion target. The overall allocation of allowances will be set to reduce the amount of BMW sent to landfill. Until the working detail of the tradable permit system is known and the 1995 baseline figures are allocated to each local authority, the impact on Tayside cannot be determined.

2.4.3 Other Technical Requirements

The Landfill Directive also has a number of other requirements, which will have an impact on the ability of landfill sites to accept certain waste types. Until a full assessment of the Tayside landfill sites against the Landfill Directive criteria has been made, the full impact of the Directive will not be fully understood. The main requirements of the Directive are as follows:

• Classification of sites to certain standards or acceptance of certain waste types. This could result in no landfill site in Tayside being able to accept hazardous wastes.
  

• Banning of specific wastes from landfill, including liquids and tyres.
  

• Increased technical and engineering standards.
  

• Treatment of waste prior to acceptance into landfill in order to reduce its volume or hazardous nature, facilitate its handling or to enhance recovery.