UK – Environment Agency reminds operators burning waste of need for new permits

The Environment Agency has reminded all industrial operators who want to continue to burn waste after the end of March 2005 that they must apply for a new permit before the end of March 2005.



Any industrial operator who wants to continue burning waste after 31 March 2005 must make an application to the Environment Agency or local authority for a new permit or variation to an existing permit/authorisation by 31 March 2005.



The EU Waste Incineration Directive (WID) will take effect from the 27 December 2005. As a result, if an operator wishes to burn waste up until and after 27 December 2005 the application must demonstrate that the plant will, from 28 December 2005, meet all of the requirements of the tough new regulations. Even If an operator does not wish to burn waste after 28 December 2005 they still need to make an application, stating this is this case. Currently the Environment Agency regulates around 140 plants in England and Wales that burn about four million tonnes of waste every year, less that 10 per cent of the total amount of waste we produce. All municipal waste and hazardous waste incinerators are regulated by the Environment Agency and are already subject to strict environmental standards.



Incinerators and other plants burning waste will now need to meet new even tougher environmental standards if they are to be granted a permit.

These include:



· Tighter limits on the level of emissions, including substantial reductions in the level of sulphur dioxide, dust emissions and a large 10 fold reduction in the emission limit for dioxins

· New requirements to monitor for additional pollutants

· New measures that require the plant to stop burning waste if emission levels rise above the required level



Dr Martin Bigg, Head of Industry Regulation at the Environment Agency said: “Incinerators and other plants burning waste are monitored and regulated very closely. Emission limits are already very stringent and the risk to health or wildlife is very low. These new requirements reinforce environmental protection and reflect what can now be achieved.



“It is very important that operators of incinerators and other plants burning waste get their applications in as soon as possible, so that we can make sure that, as long as they meet the new standards, they can continue to operate from 28 December 2005. Operators that fail to apply by the end of March 2005 will be considered to be operating illegally and therefore could be prosecuted or shut down.”



“Operators can seek guidance on whether to Directive applies to them or not from the websites of Defra and the Environment Agency. Additionally, there is an application form on our website which guides applicants through the information they are required to send us for the permitting process.”



Notes:



The European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive is being implemented in the UK via the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) Regulations. The PPC Regs incorporate and expand the previous Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) regime that includes incinerators. To gain a PPC permit existing operators must make application for a new permit.



The Waste Incineration Directive has been transposed into legislation through the PPC Regulations and by Secretary of State‘‘s directions to the regulators. It applies to the operators of incinerators and co-incinerators. Co-incinerators include combustion plants and cement works which burn waste as a fuel. Some wastes are excluded from the requirements of the Directive.



There is no minimum weight or throughput threshold to qualify for the new permits. All operators who burn waste must make an application. The types of plant not covered by the regulations are those treating only the following wastes:



(i) vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry,

(ii) vegetable waste fr