Landfilling of Waste

1. Introduction

1.1 General Notes
1.2 Scope and delimitation of the Guidelines
1.3 Delimitation of the Guidelines in relation to other Danish legislation and standards
1.4 Target group for the Guidelines

1.1 General Notes

Environment-policy objective

These Guidelines supersede the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s earlier Guidelines No. 4/1982: "Guidelines for Landfilling of Waste". These Guidelines are based on a principle which is fundamentally different from earlier guidelines for landfilling of waste. Thus, the starting point for these Guidelines is that the properties of waste to be landfilled must be known - including the leaching behaviour of the waste. This means that knowledge of the waste to be landfilled becomes the most important factor in environmental protection. At the same time the Guidelines are based on the objective that each generation must deal with its own waste; this implies that the waste landfilled must be of such a nature that it is likely that leachate from the waste can be accepted in the surrounding groundwater within not more than 30 years. This environmental policy objective should be seen in the light of the fact that environmental protection systems at landfills cannot be expected to work eternally. The new overall landfill strategy is described in Chapter 2.

The term "landfill" is explained in Chapter 3.

Acceptance categories

Acceptance criteria for waste going to landfill are one of the fundamental factors in the new Guidelines. In the future only certain types of waste can be accepted for landfilling. This waste is classed in different categories according to the properties of the waste.

The starting point for the acceptance criteria is detailed knowledge of the chemical composition and expected leaching behaviour of the waste. At the time of publication of these Guidelines this basis is available for only a few types of waste. Substantial development work is in progress at national as well as EU level to establish the final criteria for waste going to landfill. Until the development of criteria and test methods to verify these are complete, waste acceptance procedures at landfills must rely on positive lists for some time yet. The principles for establishing these positive lists are described in Chapter 4. When the final criteria and test methods are available, special guidelines will be drawn up by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency to replace Chapter 4 of these Guidelines.

Other contents of Guidelines

Chapters 5 to 12 of the Guidelines describe Preliminary Investigations (Chapter 5), Layout (Chapter 6), Liner Systems (Chapter 7), Leachate Collection (Chapter 8), Gas Management (Chapter 9), Operation (Chapter 10), Control (Chapter 11), and Restoration (Chapter 12). The degree of specification ranges from functional requirements to detailed guiding directions. The detailed guiding directions should be regarded as a support only and are not binding to the extent that better methods - including alternative ones - can be used to comply with the Guidelines’ intentions. The guidelines for bentonite liners and composite liners in Chapter 7 are applicable only until a revised edition of DS/R 466 becomes available, as it includes details of bentonite liners. The revised edition of DS/R 466 will be replaced by common European standards when available.

The Guidelines contain no exhaustive presentation of all matters that can or must be included when applying for and/or considering applications for permit of expansion or establishment of landfills, including:

	Matters relating to cleaner technology;
	assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment
	(EIA rules);
	the authorities’ responsibility;
	regional and local planning;
	rules on occupational health and safety;
	other matters relating to the permitting of listed activities (Part V of the Danish Environmental Protection Act); and
	other guidelines and rules in this field.

Guidelines have been drawn up for most of the above-mentioned items; please refer to these.

1.2 Scope and delimitation of the Guidelines

Scope

The Guidelines apply to the permitting and construction of all new landfills as well as to any significant expansion of existing facilities.

At the time of publication of these Guidelines the sections 4.3: "Acceptance criteria" and 4.4: "Test levels" cannot be implemented in full because of the lack of scientific basis available at this time. These sections therefore should not achieve full validity until it is either required by law by virtue of adoption of the EU directive on the landfill of waste or when the scientific basis has been provided - so that acceptance criteria and testing can be carried out for all landfills in Denmark, including existing facilities.

However, level-3 testing will always have to be performed.

The Guidelines do not cover landfills for hazardous waste, except that the principles outlined in these Guidelines must be applied, as a minimum, to the permitting and construction of landfills for hazardous waste.

The purpose of the Guidelines is solely to state principles and guidelines, and they are in no way intended to replace the detailed technical planning and investigation which must precede all decisions in respect of planning, construction and operation of landfills.

1.3 Delimitation of the Guidelines in relation to other Danish legislation and standards

The location of suitable sites for landfills must be based on the principle of coastline proximity, which is described in the Danish Ministry of the Environment’s letter of 27 December 1991. Any selection of suitable sites for the location of landfills occurs in connection with the regional planning and on the basis of the legislation applying to this field. Therefore, principles of location are not dealt with in these Guidelines.

It appears from sect. 50 of the Danish Environmental Protection Act that landfills may be owned only by public authorities. In view of the public ownership of landfills these Guidelines do not include directions for the forming of foundations or provision of security for the restoration, closure and aftercare of landfills.

1.4 Target group for the Guidelines

These Guidelines are addressed to all those who are dealing with the landfill of waste. It is thus envisaged that the Guidelines should be used by authorities in connection with any permitting and inspection of landfills. For those who are considering to establish a landfill the Guidelines are intended to be a directive for their planning, preliminary investigation and preparation of project documentation when applying for environmental permits.