Implementing the Landfill Regulations - A Scottish Perspective of Engineering Aspects

摘要

To comply with the requirements of the Landfill Directive, a total of 257 landfill sites in Scotland were required to submit conditioning plans by mid My 2002. By 2007 approximately 110 of these existing sites will have made an application to operate under a PPC permit with the remainder required to close. Those sites staying open face the challenge of meeting the technical requirements of the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations (SSI 2003/235) including containment measures, gas management and monitoring. The sites closing are required to meet the aftercare monitoring requirements of the regulations as well as capping and restoring the site in an appropriate manner. This process is to be completed by 2007, a timescale which poses demands on all the landfill industry including operators, regulators, consultants and contractors. A overview of the implementation process and consequent effects on landfill provision in Scotland is presented in this paper. The challenges facing the Scottish Waste Management Industry in terms of meeting the containment and capping provisions on the Landfill Regulations are reviewed with a focus on the key engineering issues and the scale of the activities necessary on a national level to provide Scotland with a Landfill infrastructure capable of meeting the new legislative requirements.