Landfill Directive
European Union directive | |
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Title | Landfill Directive |
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Made by | Council of the European Union |
Made under | Article 130s |
Journalreference | L 182, 16 July 1999, pp. 1–19 |
History | |
Date made | 26 April 1999 |
Entry into force | 16 July 1999 |
Implementation date | 16 July 2001 |
Other legislation | |
Amended by | Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 |
Current legislation |
TheLandfill Directive,more formally Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999, is aEuropean Union directivewhich regulateswaste managementoflandfillsin theEuropean Union.It was to be implemented by EUMember Statesby 16 July 2001. Directive (EU) 2018/850 amended the 1999 directive with effect from 5 July 2020.[1]
The Directive's overall aim is "to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment, in particular the pollution of surface water, groundwater, soil and air, and on the global environment, including thegreenhouse effect,as well as any resulting risk to human health, from the landfilling of waste, during the whole life-cycle of the landfill ".[2]This legislation also has important implications forwastehandling andwaste disposal.
Outline
[edit]The Directive is applicable to allwaste disposalsites and divides them into three classes:[3]
- landfills forhazardous waste
- landfills fornon-hazardous waste
- landfills forinert waste
Waste disposal intolandfillsis restricted by banning certain waste types, which may pose a risk. The following wastes may not be disposed of in a landfill and must either be recovered, recycled or disposed of in other ways.[4]
- liquid waste
- flammablewaste
- explosive or oxidising waste
- hospital and other clinical waste which is infectious
- used tyres, with certain exceptions
- any other type of waste which does not meet the acceptance criteria laid down in Annex II.
To avoid further risks, allowed wastes are subject to a standard waste acceptance procedure, which dictates the following terms:[5]
- waste must be treated before being landfilled
- hazardous waste within the meaning of the Directive must be assigned to a hazardous waste landfill
- landfills for non-hazardous waste must be used for municipal waste and for non-hazardous waste
- landfill sites for inert waste must be used only for inert waste
- criteria for the acceptance of waste at each landfill class must be adopted by the Commission in accordance with the general principles of Annex II.
The acceptance criteria and the acceptance process are further specified in the Council Decision 2003/33/EC.[6]
Implementation
[edit]Member States must report to theEuropean Commissionevery three years on theimplementationof the Directive.[7]According to the Directive, the amount ofbiodegradablemunicipal wastemust be reduced to 50% in 2009 and to 35% in 2016 (compared to 1995 levels).
In 2009, 10 years after theenactmentof the Landfill Directive, theEuropean Environment Agencypublished a report, which closely analysed the progress on implementing the Directive in the Member States.[8]Its close analysis focuses on five countries and one sub-national region:Estonia,Finland,theFlemish RegionofBelgium,Germany,Hungaryand Italy. According to this report, significant progress has been made, largely due to two core factors:
- setting medium- and long-term targets for reducing landfilling enabled Member States to define waste strategies and monitor their progress continuously.
- the directive's flexibility allowed Member States to try out different policies and adapt and adjust approaches "to match national and regional realities".[9]
See also
[edit]- Waste Implementation Programme,the United Kingdom programme to achieve the targets of the Landfill Directive
- List of European Union directives
References
[edit]- ^European Commission,Landfill waste,accessed 22 June 2023
- ^UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsArchived13 July 2010 atarchive.today
- ^European Commission "Landfill of Waste"
- ^The Environment AgencyArchived2 February 2013 at theWayback Machine
- ^European Commission "Landfill of Waste"
- ^Council Decision 2003/33/EC establishing criteria and procedures for the acceptance of waste at landfills
- ^Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste
- ^European Environment Agency (2009).Diverting waste from landfill: Effectiveness of waste-management policies in the European Union.Publications Office.doi:10.2800/10886.ISBN9789291679980.
- ^Gyekye, Liz (16 June 2009)."EEA: Landfill Directive leads to better waste management".Materials Recycling World.(Subscription required.)
External links
[edit]- EU legislation summary
- Text of the directive and modifications
- National implementing measures in the EU countries
- Council Decision 2003/33/EC establishing criteria and procedures for the acceptance of waste at landfills
- Diverting waste from landfill. Effectiveness of waste-management policies in the European Union(Report by theEuropean Environment Agency)