Landfill design, monitoring and performance assessment approaches in the UK have developed considerably over the last few years. The landfill industry in England and Wales has now been brought under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (Waste Management Licensing regulations still apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Waste policy changes in Europe promote re-use, re-cycling and reduction in waste. However, there are a number of waste streams which will always require landfill and these, smaller, more concentrated waste streams have the potential to cause extreme damage to the environment unless properly managed and processed.
The growing volume of regulation and statutory guidance provided by UK regulators presents a serious challenge to the waste industry. This includes the ban on co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, the need to pre-treat many waste streams and the requirement to classify wastes prior to disposal at landfill. As a result, the implications of the new Landfill Regulations are being felt throughout the entire waste industry by waste producers and the quarrying industry that has traditionally restored sand and gravel pits with inert waste.
A key outcome of these recent changes in guidance is the need to develop stronger links between hydrogeological risk assessments, landfill design and long term monitoring. This requires teams from different disciplines to work closely together to achieve the desired outcome of well designed and operated landfills that have no significant impacts on the environment. In particular, there is a need to review hydrogeological risk assessments against operational data every four years and this keeps these assessments current in waste operators’ minds.
ESI offers a leading capability in landfill hydrogeological risk assessment and has a recognised track record in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Our success is due in part to an integrated approach and close liaison with landfill engineers, both in client organisations and consultancy partners, and in part to in-depth technical skills.
ESI has a detailed technical understanding and appreciation of the key issues involved in field investigation, data management, ongoing monitoring and risk assessment. Our experience of numerous landfill sites has highlighted the need for high standards in terms of the data upon which risk assessments will rely, and the value of a rigorous approach to obtaining baseline data to demonstrate sound conceptual models for subsequent regulatory negotiation. ESI is increasingly becoming involved in the operational aspects of environmental data collection, quality assurance, management and reporting and linking assessments of these data to the findings of the hydrogeological risk assessment.
Clients: – Waste Management Industry
- Augean
- Biffa Waste Services
- Cemex
- Syngenta
- Veolia Group
- Waste Recycling Group