1. Topic

2. Introduction

When waste cannot be reduced, reused or recycled, it has to be treated in a different way. There are two main ways of dealing with this type of waste: incineration (burning at high temperature) and landfills. Incineration reduces the volume of waste that has to be disposed in landfills by up to 90%, and its weight by 60-70%. It releases energy to supply power or heating. Special incinerators can even handle hazardous waste and the burning process reduces the toxicity of organic compounds. However, incineration may produce toxins and heavy metals that have to be kept out of the atmosphere by installing expensive filters. In the end, when these filters are highly contaminated, they end up in landfill sites.

Both incineration and landfill can create severe environmental damage and have to be controlled particularly well. We will concentrate on the first case.

3. Discussion

At EU level, there are new measures that aim at preventing or reducing as much as possible negative effects on the air caused by the incineration and co-incineration of wastes. Air pollution caused by emissions should be reduced and the risks to human health as well. Only stringent operational conditions, technical requirements and emission limit values for waste incineration and co-incineration can help contribute to this reduction. With the new legislation, considerable reductions will be achieved for NOx, SO2, HCl and heavy metals. In the EU, cadmium emissions are expected to fall from 16 tonnes per year in 1995 to around 1 tonne in 2005. Over the same period, mercury emissions should fall from an annual 36 tonnes to around 7 tonnes. Although this new legislation covers all wastes, it is clear that the largest source of emissions of dioxins and furans into the atmosphere is caused by the non-hazardous waste burning. The new legislation will reduce such emissions from incineration from an annual 2,400 grams in 1995 to only 10 grams after full implementation in 2005. It also introduces stricter provisions than those found in the existing municipal waste incineration Directives (89/369/EEC and 89/429/EEC) and in the existing hazardous waste incineration Directive (94/67/EC), which would be repealed. However, it excludes some forms of waste such as biomass and experimental plants. It is obvious that incineration contributes enormously to air pollution, but incineration is the last action that has to be carried out when none of the other solutions can be applied (prevention of waste, recovery through reuse-recycling or energy recovery or improved treatment conditions).

4. Recommendation / Conclusion

Although Directive 00/76/EC is already enforceable (here are some provisions for existing plants, to be implemented as from 28.12.05, but for the new plants, this is in force since 28.12.02) the other ways of making good use of waste are more recommended and cause less pollution (prevention of waste -the best one-, recovery through reuse, recycling, energy recovery and improved treatment conditions). Landfill of waste should be considered as the very last option.

5. Examples / Further Reading

Waste Burning in Bristol

6. Additional Documents / Web Links

· Scope of Waste legislation: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/wasteinc/scope.htm#scope

· Waste Framework Directive 1975/42/EEC.

· Incineration of waste Directive 2000/76/EC, OJ L332, p. 91, 28.12.00

· Incineration of hazardous waste directive 1994/67/EC and non-hazardous waste directive 89/369/EEC and 89/429/EEC (the three will be repealed from 28.12.05).

· Communication on Community Strategy for Dioxins, Furans and Polychlorinated Byphenyls Com(2001) 593 final, 14.10.01.

· Incineration of hazardous (formerly Directive 94/67/EC) and Toxic Waste Decisions.

· Limits the dioxins emitted during incineration Directive.

· EU waste studies published by the European Commission: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/waste/studies/index.htm.

Last Updated

25th January 2005