Focus on Landfill Report 2010Engineers Ireland, Local Government Division

Mr. Dara Lynott BE, MSc, PE, Ceng, FIEI

Deputy Director GeneralEnvironmental Protection AgencySeptember 30th, 2010

All or part of this publication may be reproduced without further permission, provided the source is acknowledged.

• Then and now• Focus on landfill report• Diversion from landfill• Historic Landfills• Compliance priorities

Outline of Presentation

Numbers of open landfills 1985-2009

Standards at MSW landfills 1995-1997

Few Regulatory Controls & Little Strategic Planning

•Poor Design and Operational Standards for Facilities

•Minimal Expenditure & Low Technology to Conserve Costs

•About 90% of BMW to Landfill

Standards at MSW landfills 1995-1997

Standards at MSW landfills 1995-1997

Landfills in Ireland

• EU average for MSW to landfill is 42%• 28 operational MSW landfills - 23 LA & 5 private • 5 private landfills accept about 1/3 of the waste tonnage• Remaining capacity estimated at 23.106 tonnes• At current landfill rate, approx 10 years capacity remaining•Smaller number of larger landfills, more private sector involvement in MSW sector, major improvement in standards

Current situation

Focus on Landfill report 2010

Why report now

Structure of the report

Compliance

Focus of future regulation

Compliance

Uncapped area10%

Temporary capped area

25%

Final capped area65%

Total area of open MSW landfills in 2008 was 255Ha

Capping

Approximately 1 million cubic meters from open MSW landfills in 2008

Approximately 0.4 million cubic meters from closed MSW landfills

99% tankered or via sewer to 46 UWWTPs

1% to 2 private facilities or treated on-site and discharged

Very little on-site treatment - mainly air stripping of methane

Most Inert and IPPC landfills do not collect leachate

Leachate Management

All landfilling of MSW being carried out in lined cells; Kinsale Rd. closed as of July 2009

Approx. 150Ha of lining installed at MSW landfills

Lining

Landfill Gas Utilisation

Currently 9 landfills have 20 engines with 30MW capacity

All MSW landfills with >1 million tonnes generating electricity in 2009; No landfills <1 million tonnes generating electricity

200,000tonnes = EA indicative benchmark for viability

17 MSW landfills > 200,000 tonnes & another 15 > 500,000 tonnes – not generating electricity

Age of waste; CH4 content of gas; grid access

SEI estimates 80MW to be accessible in 2010

Underutilisation of landfill gas as energy source?

Gas management

Complaints 2004 - 2008

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Num

ber

of C

ompl

aint

s

All EPA licensed activities MSW landfill odour

Odours– EPA Response

2004-2009 - 9 prosecutions for LFG management & 4 for odour Odour assessment procedure & use of site agents Auditing/inspection of LFG systems including surface VOC emissions monitoring New conditions in landfill template: e.g. odour management plans; condensate management; field balancing; timing of cover & capping; surface VOC monitoring/limits & odour management plan

Phase 1 VOC Plot

Phase 3 VOC Plot

Main Findings in 2009 surveys

• Most common source of high surface emissions

•Flanked Areas•Leachate side slope risers•Gas abstraction problems – density of wells; inadequate sealing around wells•Cover material application (type and depth)

• 10 sites improved from last year; 6 more or less the same

Still a deficit, although not as bad, at sites in knowledge of how maintenance of the gas management system is to be carried out

Greenhouse gas emissions

~ 36.5% to Recovery

~ 63.5% to Landfill

MSW - 3.4 Mtonnes in 2007

Where our waste goes

The Obligations - EU Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC)

The EU Landfill Directive requires pre-treatment of all waste before landfilling (Article 6) This obligation is binding from July 2001 for all new landfills This obligation is binding from July 2009 for all sites.

Article 5 of the Directive sets specific Biodegradable waste diversionary targets starting in 2006. Ireland obtained a 4 year derogation as follows:

1,289,911t landfilled in 1995

*

*

Diversion of waste

Biodegradable Municipal Waste - Forecasts & Targets

BMW Forecasts and Targets

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Mill

ion

To

nn

es BMW Generated

NBWS BMW forecasts

BMW Landfilled

Landfill Directive Targets

Based on EPA-ESRI ISUS projections

Actions Taken

EPA reviewed Licenses and place conditions requiring specific biowaste pre-treatment

EPA established standards for stabilised bio-waste

EPA to issue circular to all existing landfill operators to reinforce the general waste pre-treatment obligation falling due on 16-7-2009 for these operators.

EPA will publish new BAT note for Landfill

EPA published municipal waste characterisation methodology (essential for the measurement of biowaste content)

Historic landfills - Legislative background

Waste Framework Directive 1975 - The incomplete transposition of the Waste Framework Directive meant that municipal landfills operated between July 1977 and 1997 were not subject to a licensing system, with its associated safeguards for the environment

Section 22 of the Waste Management Act 1996 Ministerial Direction May 2005 EPA Code of Practice SI 524 of 2008 - Waste Management (Certification of Historic

Unlicenced Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) Regulations

2008

Waste Management (Certification of Historic Unlicenced Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) Regulations 2008

“closed landfill” - a landfill site operated by a local authority for the recovery or disposal of waste without a waste licence on any date between 15 July 1977 and 27 March 1997

identify and register closed landfills by 30th June 2009.

carry out an environmental risk assessment having regard to the EPA’s Code of Practice

Apply to the Agency for a certificate of authorisation.

•344 sites across the country•23% high risk, 34% moderate and 43% low risk• Site investigations to be completed and remediation plans put in place• Pilot project underway •Sites to be authorised by the Agency

Regulation of historic landfills

EPA have provided an on line register.

Tier 1 Risk Assessments

Conceptual Site Model Desk Based study informed by a site walk over. Risk Classification: high, medium or low. Relatively cheap. To date over 241 (74%) Tier 1’s are completed:

22% are High Risk 34% are Medium Risk44% are Low Risk

Tier 2 Risk Assessments

Site Investigations and testing. The COP defines the required works Expensive part of the RA. DOE has funded a pilot study:

The EPA have developed decision matrices to compliment the COP.

These matrices will be issued following testing by the pilot study.

Workshop after completion of pilot.

Tier 3

Refinement of CSM Site investigation information to be used to refine CSM Risk Screening to be re-applied

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) Required for High and Moderate Risk Sites Development of Guideline Acceptance Criteria If site concentrations are < Guideline acceptance criteria risk is deemed

to be acceptable and no further action required If site concentrations are > Guideline acceptance criteria risk is deemed

to be unacceptable and remedial measures required

Available on envision

Authorisation by the EPA

: On completion of the Risk Assessment the Local Authority

shall apply to the Agency for Cert. of Authorisation Reg. 7 (1).

As a minimum should contain the information in Reg. 7 (2). The Risk Assessment shall form the basis for the Certificate

of Authorisation. Agency may request further information under Reg. 7 (4) Non-technical summary required €5,000 fee

Compliance Priorities

Biodegradable waste

Landfilling of BMW results in high emissions of methane which is a greenhouse gas and a potential source of odour nuisance.

Ireland faces daily fines for non-compliance with Landfill Directive targets for diversion of BMW from landfill.

Almost 1.2 million tonnes of BMW were landfilled in 2008; just 0.916 million tonnes can be landfilled in 2010, reducing to 0.610 million tonnes in 2013 and 0.427 million tonnes in 2016.

Compliance Priorities

 Landfill gas

The landfilling of waste produces landfill gas which poses an environmental risk if not managed properly.

Landfill gas must either be collected and used to produce energy, or flared according to EPA guidance.

Landfill gas is odorous and accounted for 71% of all complaints in relation to licensed facilities in 2009.

Compliance Priorities

Environmental Liabilities and Financial provision

Landfills continue to pose an environmental risk after closure and require proper closure, restoration and aftercare to minimise environmental impact.

Significant financial provision is required to fund closure, restoration and aftercare costs.

Landfill gate fees have declined by one third between 2004 and 2008 which raises concerns in relation to funding of closure, restoration and aftercare costs in particular.

Compliance Priorities

Legacy Landfill

There are over 300 landfills that were operated by local authorities between 1977 and 1997 without specific authorisation and which must now be regularised under the Historic Unlicensed Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity Regulations.

Further Reading

•http://www.epa.ie/downloads/videos/wasteworkshop/•http://www.epa.ie/downloads/videos/bmw/•http://watermaps.wfdireland.ie/LandfillRiskAssessment/Authentication/Login.aspx