Landfill Directive

The overall objective of the Landfill Directive was to supplement the requirements of the Waste Framework Directive (2006/12/EC) and prevent or reduce as far as possible the negative effects of Landfill on the environment as well as any resultant risk to human health. It seeks to achieve this through specifying uniform technical standards at Community level and sets out requirements for the location, management, engineering, closure and monitoring for landfills. The Directive also includes requirements relating to the characteristics of the waste to be landfilled.

The Landfill Directive sets out which wastes can be accepted in the different classes of landfill (Article 6(b), (c) and (d)). The Decision requires that waste shall be accepted at a Landfill only if it meets the acceptance criteria for the relevant class of landfill (Article 3 of the Decision and section 2 of the Annex). The relevant classes of Landfill are:

• Non-hazardous Landfill
• Hazardous Landfill
• Inert Landfill

The Directive also requires, that a strategy on biodegradable waste is put in place that achieves the progressive diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill (Articles 5(1) & (2)). This requirement has been implemented in England through Waste Strategy 2007 and across the UK through the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003.