Waste 21

Appendix C Capacity

C 1 Capacity - incineration plants
C 1.1 Waste amounts, capacity, and catchment areas
C 1.2 Capacity utilisation
C 1.3 Objectives and future initiatives
C 1.4 Regulation
C 1.5 Implications for national authorities
C 1.6 Implications for local authorities

C 2 Landfill capacity
C 2.1 Waste amounts going to landfill
C 2.2 Regional planning
C 2.3 Future capacity at Danish landfills

C 3 Capacity - hazardous waste
C 3.1 Hazardous waste - primary sources
C 3.2 Hazardous waste - secondary sources

C 1 Capacity - incineration plants

C 1.1 Waste amounts, capacity, and catchment areas

In 1997, 2.4 million tonnes of waste were treated at Danish incineration plants. A further 180,000 tonnes municipal sewage sludge were incinerated at specific sludge incineration plants.

In 1995, incineration capacity and needs balanced. The ban on landfilling of waste suitable for incineration in effect since 1^st January 1997, increasing waste amounts, and delays in the conversion to co-generation (combined power and heating generation), however, are all factors that have led to a deficiency in capacity today.

On 1^st January 1997, 31 waste incineration plants were in operation in Denmark. Since 1991, six old incineration plants have been phased out, and the oldest incineration plant in operation today was built in 1968.

Total number of oven lines in 1997 was 70, divided into 25 co-generation (CPH) and 45 hot water generating (HW) oven lines. The policy has been to ensure maximum energy utilisation and to shift as much waste as possible to CPH plants. HW capacity has not been established since 1992. Incineration capacity of plants varied in 1995 between 14,000 tonnes and 315,000 tonnes per year. Of total amounts of waste incinerated, 57 per cent was treated at CPH plants and 43 per cent at HW plants.

Aim: regional balance

In Waste 21, a number of waste regions have been defined. A waste region is a well-defined geographical area within which co-operation on exploitation of incineration capacity etc. is logical and expedient.

Danish waste management policy aims at ensuring sufficient capacity within each waste region to treat waste suitable for incineration generated in the region. This policy is in accordance with the principle of self-sufficiency in the waste regions and the proximity principle entailing that waste suitable for incineration is treated at nearby incineration plants to the largest possible extent.

Incineration capacity and waste amounts in Denmark in 1995 and year 2000⁵¹ are shown below.

1995 figures reflect actual amounts of waste suitable for incineration delivered to Danish incineration plants. Amounts of waste suitable for incineration landfilled or stored temporarily are not included. The amounts of waste suitable for incineration in year 2000⁵² are projections based on data reported to the ISAG (the Danish Information System for Waste and Recycling) combined with anticipated economic development from the Danish Ministry of Finance.

Waste amounts and capacity in '000 tonnes, Denmark

Waste amounts and capacity are stated below for six waste regions in Denmark year 1995 and year 2000 ('000 tonnes).

Waste region Sealand⁵³

Excess

Waste region Bornholm

Balance

Waste region Funen

Lack of capacity

Waste region Southern Jutland

Lack of capacity

Waste region Central Jutland

Lack of capacity

Waste region Northern Jutland

Balance

Waste suitable for incineration is generally led to nearest waste incineration plant

It does happen that waste suitable for incineration is transported from one waste region to another. Based on available data⁵⁴ from 1995, is has been calculated that amounts of waste suitable for incineration treated outside the region of generation on an average were below 2 per cent of total amounts incinerated in 1995.

It is thereby ensured to a large extent that waste suitable for incineration is incinerated in the region of generation.

C 1.2 Capacity utilisation

Capacity utilisation in 1996 close to maximum.

In 1996, around 2.3 million tonnes of waste were delivered to waste incineration plants, corresponding to utilisation of a little below 80 per cent of maximum theoretic capacity at that time. In other words, capacity was utilised close to maximum.

There are a number of limitations to maximum utilisation of capacity. One limitation is seasonal variations in heating needs, meaning that some oven lines cannot be in operation during summer months. As a consequence, it is necessary in some periods to cool off heat. Another limitation consists of old hot water generating waste furnaces that, for environmental reasons, can only be used in transitional periods or only in certain periods of the year. There may also be limitations due to operation or design.

C 1.3 Objectives and future initiatives

Objectives

	incineration capacity adapted to actual needs.
	optimum energy utilisation, largest possible CO2 mitigation
	regional self-sufficiency.

Measures

enhanced co-ordination or establishment of rules on incineration capacity.

Total amounts of waste to be incinerated in year 2004 will be larger than in 1997. Waste 21 launches initiatives for increased recycling which will shift waste from incineration, but other factors have the opposite effect. First and foremost, the ban on landfilling of waste suitable for incineration is expected to shift large amounts of waste from landfilling to incineration. An increase in waste arisings up to 2004 will also mean more waste for incineration. In addition to present projects on extension of capacity, it is expected up to 2004 that a further 5 to 10 per cent incineration capacity will be established.

New challenges are ahead due to increased capacity needs, overall energy policy, and stricter environmental requirements⁵⁵. These challenges will be solved in close co-operation between local, regional and national authorities.

The aim is to adapt capacity to needs and locate capacity in a way that allows for best possible energy utilisation and largest possible CO₂ mitigation based on the principle of regional self-sufficiency. In future, the establishment of new plants, closing-down of operations, or conversion to co-generation will be better co-ordinated.

Much incineration capacity is today based purely on hot water generating oven lines. It is estimated that after year 2000 there will still be a need for utilising capacity in several of these ovens. The use of such ovens will be assessed regularly, especially in respect of largest possible energy utilisation and stricter environmental requirements.

Co-ordination will be enhanced or rules will be issued ensuring overall planning nationally and regionally and that environmental and economic aspects are respected.

C 1.4 Regulation

Under the terms of the Statutory Order on Waste⁵⁶ local councils are under an obligation to ensure that waste suitable for incineration which is not recycled is assigned to incineration at approved incineration plants, and that sufficient incineration capacity is available for waste suitable for incineration.

Exemptions from this rule may be granted with a view to temporary storage of waste suitable for incineration, if incineration capacity is insufficient for a period of time.

New waste incineration plants are approved today under Part 5 of the Danish Environmental Protection Act. Prior to approval, regional authorities must carry out an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment)⁵⁷. Authorities must also respect the terms of the Electricity Supply Act⁵⁸ and the Heating Supply Act⁵⁹ in their approval.

EU directive on waste incineration is expected to lead to stricter emission limit values

It is expected that a proposal for a new/revised EU directive on waste incineration will be adopted in the near future. If the proposal is adopted in its present form, emission limit values for Danish incineration plants will become stricter. In connection with new approvals, authorities are trying to ensure that waste incineration plants can comply with future requirements.

C 1.5 Implications for national authorities

Developments in amounts of non-recyclable waste suitable for incineration will be monitored nationally and regionally with regard to ensuring sufficient incineration capacity.

C 1.6 Implications for local authorities

In municipal waste management plans, local councils must state amounts of waste for incineration in relation to capacity available. In this context, local councils must give an account of plans to bring down amounts of waste suitable for incineration in temporary storage, including statements of the need for additional incineration capacity.

C 2 Landfill capacity

C 2.1 Waste amounts going to landfill

In 1997, 2.1 million tonnes of waste were landfilled in Denmark. Fluctuations in landfilled amounts reflect changes in amounts of landfilled fly ash from coal-fired power plants and landfilled industrial waste.

A general decrease in landfilling of household waste has been registered from 1994 to 1997.

Source: Waste Statistics 1997, Environmental Review No. 1 1999 from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency

Energy 21 envisages a decrease in coal-based power generation, and consequently amounts of fly ash from coal-fired power plants will decrease.

C 2.2 Regional planning

Based on information delivered by local authorities, who are responsible for waste planning, regional authorities in their regional planning must ensure that areas are set aside for the necessary treatment capacity in the entire planning period - both concerning landfills and waste incineration plants. Export and import of waste must be taken into consideration.

In connection with the 1997 revision of regional plans, it became clear that, in many counties, increased capacity needs are to be expected in the period covered by the plans. Changes are to be incorporated in subsequent supplementary regional plans. In order to ensure a balance between expected amounts of waste and existing and/or planned capacity, regional plans must provide an overall statement of waste treatment capacity and considerations of possible siting of waste treatment plants.

In the siting of new waste treatment plants, a number of criteria must be respected. These criteria are:

Guidelines from the Ministry of Environment and Energy on coastal landfills, memorandum of 27^th December 1991, and Statutory Order from the Ministry of Environment and Energy No. 921 of 8^th October on quality standards for the aquatic environment and requirements for discharge of certain dangerous substances into inland waters or the marine environment⁶⁰. This Statutory Order bans location of landfills in areas where discharges of leachate may cause pollution of inland waters and the marine environment. Landfills must therefore not be located near sensitive aquatic environments.

In the planning of large building and construction works, possibilities for utilising inorganic residues must also be considered. Many construction works are planned and completed today without consideration of utilising such residues, leading to a loss of resources and increased need for landfill sites.

Finally, Guidelines no. 9 of 1997 from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency for waste landfills must be respected.

On 1^st January 1997, a ban on landfilling of waste suitable for incineration took effect. As a consequence, there may be a need in some regions for temporary storage of waste suitable for incineration.

Landfills are in general covered by regulations on EIA in the Planning Act (assessment of the effect of certain public and private projects on the environment). This is always the case for landfilling of hazardous waste.

C 2.3 Future capacity at Danish landfills

Temporary storage of waste suitable for incineration

There is a need for a detailed study of projections of waste arisings with a view to ensuring that sufficient landfill capacity is available. In this connection it is also necessary to ensure that sufficient capacity for temporary storage of waste suitable for incineration is available.

Amounts of residues from coal-fired co-generation plants vary from one year to another due to varying electricity demand. Recycling of residues depends partly on a few large construction works. It must be ensured that sufficient capacity for landfilling of residues is available, and regional councils should assume this task in co-operation with power companies.

Amounts of residues from waste incineration (slag and flue gas cleaning products) are expected to increase slightly. In a letter of 24^th August 1998 from the Ministry of Environment and Energy, three local councils and the relevant regional councils have been requested to keep relevant sites available for the establishment of landfills for flue gas cleaning waste.

Amounts of bioash (from straw and wood chips) are also rising. Analyses of ash show that cadmium contents are relatively high. Limit values for cadmium and mercury will become stricter in year 2000 for application to farmland, and it is therefore expected that there will be an increasing need for landfill capacity for this fraction.

As a consequence of new techniques using mixed fuels (biomass and coal), a new type of residue will be generated which must probably be landfilled.

In addition, there is a need for landfilling of contaminated soil which cannot be cleaned. The amount of contaminated soil for landfilling is expected to increase due to enhanced efforts for contaminated site clean-up. As to ordinary surplus soil, this fraction may no longer be landfilled in raw material pits due to new legislation banning landfilling of soil in raw material pits. In future, if surplus soil causes disposal problems due to the ban, it may be necessary for regional authorities to establish alternative sites of disposal.

Amounts of soil will vary with increasing or decreasing activity in the building and construction sector.

Finally, increasing amounts of contaminated harbour sludge are expected, which must be disposed of in other ways than by dredging. Here, special attention must be paid to coastal zones near harbours. It shall also be considered whether it would be expedient to select one or several sites in the county with a view to subsequent recovery possibilities.

Conclusion

Up to 2004, landfill capacity is sufficient at national level, but there are large differences among the regions due to possibilities of identifying suitable sites for landfills. In addition, practice shows that planning must be carried out with a 12 years' horizon. Considerations on capacity must therefore go further than the four years which are often practice in planning.

C 3 Capacity - hazardous waste

C 3.1 Hazardous waste - primary sources

In 1997, a total of 182,000 tonnes of hazardous waste were treated in Denmark. An outline of various hazardous waste fractions and treatment is given in Table C 3.1 below.

In addition, hazardous waste is generated at waste incineration plants and other so-called secondary sources⁶¹. An outline of waste from secondary sources is given in Table C 3.2.

Table C 3.1 Hazardous waste by form of treatment

Sources: (1) Registrations under EU regulation on shipment of waste, (2) Subsidies granted for disposal of waste oil, (3) ISAG reporting 1996, (4) Elsam, (5) Kommunekemi A/S, (6) Calculations from Danish Environmental Protection Agency. Differences between total amounts of waste hermetically sealed Ni-Cd accumulators (120 tonnes) and amounts collected for recycling reflect the fact that batteries are not collected separately, but are included in general waste collection.

28 per cent of hazardous waste is recycled today:

	lead accumulators and Ni-Cd batteries are collected and sent for reprocessing in Sweden or France
	sulphuric acid is exported for recycling
	waste from the photographic industry is recycled in Great Britain

21 per cent is incinerated:

	waste oil: In 1997, around 35,000 tonnes waste oil were treated. Just below 60 per cent was treated at district heating plants, and around 40 per cent was destroyed at Kommunekemi A/S
	health-care risk waste: Health-care risk waste amounts to 8,800 tonnes. Around 35 per cent is treated at SWS (Special Waste System). The rest is treated at seven conventional waste incineration plants (Affaldsselskabet Vendsyssel Vest I/S, I/S Amagerforbrænding, BOFA I/S, I/S KARA, I/S Vestforbrænding, Forbrændingsanlægget Århus Nord, Vejen Kraftvarmeværk).
	oily sludges are treated at Ålborg Portland

45 per cent is subject to special treatment:

oil and chemical waste is primarily treated at Kommunekemi A/S (around 95 per cent), and a small fraction of laboratory waste is treated at Special Waste System.

6 per cent is landfilled:

asbestos and contaminated soil is deposited at special landfills.

In recent years, Kommunekemi A/S has received decreasing amounts of oil and chemical waste for treatment. Waste oil amounts have been decreasing since 1988 and account today for only one quarter of amounts in 1988. Chemical waste amounts have been generally decreasing from 1991 to 1996. From 1996 to 1997, amounts increased by 9 per cent.

It seems that a number of enterprises have emerged, pre-treating hazardous waste, for example by separating non-hazardous fractions from hazardous waste (for example oil filters, paint drums, water components in waste oil). Hazardous fractions are mainly delivered to Kommunekemi A/S, or to district heating plants (waste oil). Non-hazardous fractions are delivered to incineration or recycling.

For a few waste fractions (silver from the photographic industry, organic solvents) recycling enterprises exist (recovery of silver, cooling liquids), but generally only few treatment methods have been developed for, for example, recovery or recycling of hazardous waste fractions.

Conclusion

At present, no need for extension of treatment capacity for hazardous waste is envisaged.

C 3.2 Hazardous waste - secondary sources

Some residues from waste incineration plants are classified as hazardous waste, for example flue gas filter dust, fly ash, and flue gas cleaning products from waste incineration. An outline of amounts and treatment is given in Table C 3.2.

Table C 3.2 Hazardous waste from secondary sources

(1) Registrations under the EU regulation on shipments of waste, (2) ISAG reports for 1997, (3) Figure under special treatment means that waste is in storage.

Flue gas filter dust and flue gas cleaning products from waste incineration plants account for around 30 per cent of total hazardous waste amounts.

Some of these residues are landfilled abroad today, and some are stored temporarily in Denmark. Flue gas filter dust from the Danish Steel Works is sent for reprocessing in Spain.

Apart from residues from waste incineration plants, Kommunekemi also generates residues. These residues are also classified as hazardous waste, see also Table C 3.3.

Table C 3.3. Hazardous waste from Kommunekemi

(1) Reduction in amounts of ash from 1997 to 1998 is due to reduced operation in 1998 because of renovation of flue gas system in F4. Figures in brackets state the calculated part of thermal treatment of soil etc. in F1, (2) Only part from treatment of hazardous waste in F3 and F4, (3) Gypsum is generated only in the thermal treatment of contaminated soil etc. in F1.

Initiatives have been launched to establish three landfills receiving stabilised flue gas cleaning products from the whole country. When the sites have been established and stabilisation methods are operational, residues will be deposited at these landfills.

In respect of the principles of proximity and self-sufficiency, exports of flue gas cleaning products will no longer be permitted when these landfills have been established and start operation. In connection with the preparation of Waste 21, the Commission has been notified of these measures in accordance with regulations in Article 4, section 3 a) i) in Council Regulation (EEC) No. 259/93.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned three landfills are expected to ensure sufficient capacity for landfilling of residues for the next 10 to 15 years.

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