Permitting and Legislation
EU Landfill Directive
The EU Landfill Directive includes statutory targets for the reduction of the landfilling of biodegradable waste (kitchen waste, garden waste, paper, card, textiles and wood). The rationale is that the uncontrolled decomposition in a landfill causes: the emission of methane (a very powerful greenhouse gas) and of carbon dioxide; the production of leachate; and the attraction of vermin. Of the fractions of biodegradable waste it is food waste which has by far the greatest environmental impact. A biogas plant uses a similar process to that taking place in a landfill site, the key differences being that the former is contained & controlled, and the breakdown of organic matter by naturally occurring bacteria takes only one month compared with many years in a landfill.
The anaerobic digestion of source-separated biodegradable waste creates a diversion for this waste away from landfill, helping local authorities to comply with landfill allowances set under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS). This is a tradable scheme to help divert municipal biodegradable waste from landfill. It is likely to become critical in 2009/10 when targets must be met without the flexibilities of banking or borrowing allowances that are currently permitted.
EU Animal By-Products Regulation
The EU Animal By-Products Regulation came into force across the European Community on 1st May 2003. This divides animal by-products into 3 categories:
- Category 1 is high risk and must be incinerated, e.g. spinal cords
- Category 2 is material unfit for human consumption, e.g. fallen stock and animals which have failed inspections. Most types of this material must be incinerated or rendered (133°C, 3 bar, 20 minutes).
- Category 3 is material which is fit for but not destined for human consumption, and it is this category which has the widest range of definition and on which the EU-ABPR has the greatest impact in terms of the permissible changes to the disposal route.