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| What is hazardous waste? |
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| This is all waste whose potentially polluting nature means that it needs a specific treatment and periodical control and is included in the area of application of Directive 91/689/CE of 12th December.
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| Where are hazardous wastes generated in Catalonia? |
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| They are generated all around Catalonia, mainly in industries, but also in trades and homes. |
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| What are the hazardous wastes that can be disposed of in a controlled manner in a class III landfill? |
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| These are wastes that according to the Catalonian waste catalogue are qualified as hazardous and whose management according to the catalogue is disposal in a hazardous waste controlled landfill; there are also all wastes which, qualified as non hazardous by the Catalogue, fail to meet the acceptance criteria of a class II controlled landfill. |
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| What is a class III controlled landfill for hazardous waste? |
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| It is a waste management facility intended for the final storage of hazardous waste on the surface or underground. |
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| Is hazardous waste management in controlled landfills a public service? |
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| The disposal of hazardous waste in external plants is a public service of the Generalitat, government of Catalonia. |
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| What is the main regulation applicable to the management of hazardous waste in controlled landfills? |
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- Decree 65/1994 of 7th March establishing measures to prevent forest fires.
- Decree 115/94 of 6th April regulating the General register of waste management enterprises of Catalonia.
- Decree
1/1997 of 7th January on waste disposal in controlled
landfills.
- Law
3/1998 of 27th February concerning the comprehensive
intervention of the environmental administration.
- Decree
136/1999 of 18th March approving the general regulation
developing Law 3/1998 of 27th February, concerning the
comprehensive intervention of the environmental administration,
with the adaptation of its annexes.
- Decree 92/1999 of 6th April in modification of Decree 34/1996 of 9th January, in approval of the Catalonia waste catalogue
- Directive
31/1999 of 26th April concerning waste disposal
- Royal
Decree 1481/2001 of 27th December regulating the
elimination of waste by placement in landfills.
- European
waste catalogue
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| How does one ensure that the landfill manager complies with their environmental obligations? |
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| By the placement of an initial guarantee
and an annual increase regulated by article 10 of Decree
1/1997.
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| What are the analytical criteria for accepting a waste in a class III controlled landfill? |
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| The analytical criteria for accepting waste in a class III controlled landfill are set out in annexe 1 of Decree 1/1997 of 7th January, on the disposal of waste refuse in controlled landfills. |
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| What studies are needed to decide where a location is suitable for setting up a class III controlled landfill? |
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| Geological and hydrological studies are needed to know the confinement capacity of the natural land in the place where the landfill is planned. The referred studies are completed with studies on the state of the fissuring and structural layout of the materials, geotechnical studies and an evaluation of the natural risks (flooding, subsidence, slipping, seismic, landslides,...) |
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| How is a location conditioned as a hazardous waste landfill? |
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| Once the surface of the basin of the landfill has been corrected and levelled, it is given a slight gradient and is covered at the bottom and sides with a series of layers of mineral and synthetic impermeabilisation in order to reinforce the natural sealing properties of the base and give it drainage to capture and evacuate the lixiviats.
The characteristics and thicknesses of these layers are
presented in point I of annexe 3 of Decree
1/1997.
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| What must be borne in mind in the operation of a hazardous waste controlled landfill? |
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| As in all waste landfills, the facility must be used so that:
- no undesirable reactions are caused between the wastes or between the waste and the infiltration water,
- the infiltration of rainwater and lixiviat production are minimised.
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| Why must a waste landfill be sealed? |
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| A waste landfill must be sealed to ensure final isolation from rainwater infiltration, the facility must be integrated in the surroundings and a future use must be guaranteed of the place that is compatible with the presence of waste.
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| How is a hazardous waste controlled landfill sealed? |
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| As the surface of the landfill is finally
taken up, from the last layer of waste placed there it is
covered with a series of mineral and synthetic impermeabilisation
layers, drainage and soil and vegetable support. The last
layer is sown with species that are ideal for protecting
the area from erosion by water and wind and for minimising
rainwater infiltration. The characteristics of these layers
are gathered in point V of annexe 3 of Decree
1/1997. |
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| How is the entry of waste in a class III landfill controlled? |
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| Before sending waste to a controlled landfill, the producer must ask a laboratory certified by the Agència de Residus de Catalunya for a characterisation that allows the composition of the waste to be known. When the waste reaches the landfill, the operator of the installation must take the necessary measures to ensure that the waste received corresponds in quality and quantity to that established on the acceptance sheet and follow-up sheet. This control is performed by sampling and analysis. If the checks are negative, the waste is returned to its producer, otherwise the waste is left in the facility. |
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| How is the operation of the landfill controlled? |
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| The correct operation of a landfill is controlled from: the periodical inspection visits made directly or indirectly by the Agència de Residus de Catalunya to the installations or the analytical results achieved from the periodical sampling of the underground waters in the control piezometric network. |
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| What are lixiviats? |
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| These are the liquids generated in a controlled landfill as a result of rainwater infiltration, the dampness content of the waste and, in the case of biodegradable waste, the organic material content. |
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| How are lixiviats managed? |
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| The lixiviats captured and evacuated from the landfill either by gravity or by pumping are stored in a basin built there for, for treatment either "in situ" or in an external plant. |
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| What does the post-sealing of a hazardous waste controlled landfill consist of? |
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| According to what is established in Decree
1/1997, once the landfill has been finally sealed,
the facility operating entity must ensure the maintenance
and control of the installation for at least 15 days.
The maintenance and control to be carried out in this
time is described in annexe 6 of Decree
1/1997.
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| What third party hazardous waste controlled landfills are authorised in Catalonia? |
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| Today, only the can Palà controlled landfill in the municipality of Castellolí (Anoia region) is authorised.
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| What are the management companies of these landfills? |
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| The company managing the can Palà controlled landfill (Castellolí) is ATLAS GESTIÓN MEDIOAMBIENTAL, S.A.. |
