Landfill Legislation

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Landfill Legislation

• Richard Campbell

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INTRODUCTION

• Prior to the mid-1980's, waste disposal sites
  were sites that no one wanted, ie they were
  holes in the ground, swamps or derelict land.
• In the 1980s the environment and impact of past
  mis-management of soil, rock and groundwater
  started to be given greater attention.

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INTRODUCTION

• 1980's and early 1990's very little specific
  regulation which dictated how landfills should be
  investigated and designed.
• Legislation was in place that effectively
  required protection of soil and groundwater,
  there was little guidance on how the legislation
  should be interpreted or implemented. .

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INTRODUCTION

• In the mid-1990's to present considerable
  attention was given to the development of policy,
  regulation and guidance for contaminated land
  assessment and landfill design.

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REGULATIONS STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

• Landfill design, operation, and closure in
  Victoria is currently influenced by the following
  key statutory and planning documents.
• Environment Protection Act (1970)
• State Environmental Protection Policies
• EPA Waste Management Policy (Siting, Design and
  Management of Landfills) December 2004 (the Waste
  Management Policy)
• The EPA Best Practice Environmental Management
  Siting, Design, Operation and Rehabilitation of
  Landfills, Publication 788, October 2001.
• EPA Information Bulletin Rehabilitation of
  landfills exempt from licensing Publication 674,
  November 1999.

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VICTORIAN LEGISLATION

• Waste Hierarchy EPA Act 1970
• avoidance
• reuse
• recycling
• recovery of energy
• containment
• disposal

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WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS

• All municipalities are members of a Regional
  Waste Management Group.
• A RWMG must prepare a waste management plan for
  waste in its region.
• Regional Waste Plan
• Examines performance of existing facilities.
• Identifies future waste management needs
• Carries out economic analysis of options
• Evaluates potential landfill sites
• Provides for waste minimisation/resource
  recycling programs.
• Provides for litter control.
• EPA must reject applications that are not in
  accord with approved Waste Management Plans.

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VICTORIAN REGIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT GROUPS
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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT

• Specifies amount of levy payable (Schedule D)
• Levy for RWMGs, EcoRecycle and EPA
• Units are in dollars per tonne.

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EPA Works Approvals

• The Environment Protection (Scheduled Premises
  and Exemptions) Regulations specify those
  premises that must obtain prior approval before
  construction commences (works approval) and must
  operate in accordance with licence conditions.
• Works approvals are not required for municipal
  landfills serving less than 500 people.
• Works approvals process (EPA Publication 375.2)-
  allows EPA to comment on draft design, refer to
  the agencies, DHS and responsible authorities and
  allow EPA to draft licence conditions.
• Licence not required if population served less
  lt5000

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LICENCE
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LICENCE
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LICENCE
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ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT

• The Environment Protection Act empowers the
  various State Environmental Protection Policies
  (SEPPs) and Industrial Waste Management Plans
  (IWMPs).
• SEPPs are designed to provide a framework for
  protection of the beneficial uses of the various
  segments of the environment.

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RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL SEGMENTS

• Surface Waters (leachate impacts, litter)
• Groundwaters (leachate impacts)
• Air (odour, dust, green house gas emissions)

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RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL SEGMENTS
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WATER POLICY

• SEPP (Waters of Victoria)
• Objectives
• Protect beneficial uses of water.
• Methods
• Perimeter interception drains
• Progressive Rehabilitation
• Sedimentation control
• Segregation of leachate from clean storm water
• Appropriate leachate storage, treatment and
  disposal facilities.

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GROUNDWATER POLICY

• SEPP (Groundwaters of Victoria)
• Objectives
• Protect beneficial uses of groundwater (drinking
  water, stock water, ecosystem, agriculture, parks
  and gardens, industrial water use, recreation).
• Note Beneficial Uses are dependent on the
  salinity of the groundwater.
• Methods
• Avoid waste contacting groundwater
• Ascertain potential impact on groundwater
• Use landfill liners (natural or synthetic).
• Extract leachate from landfill
• Minimise leachate generation
• Groundwater monitoring.

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GROUNDWATER POLICY
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AIR POLICY

• SEPP (Air Quality Management)
• Objectives
• Protect amenity (dust, odour)
• Protect environment and humans
• Reduce green house gases
• Methods
• Buffers
• Restrict waste
• Gas extraction/monitoring
• Cover (frequency, quality quantity).

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LANDFILL GAS MIGRATION
Buildings
Cap Liner
?
Waste
GAS
Gas Extraction
GROUNDWATER
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LANDFILL WMP

• Waste Management Policy (Siting, Design and
  Management of Landfills)
• Declared December 2004
• Comply with objectives and indicators as per Air,
  Water Groundwater SEPPs.
• Must meet objectives and required outcomes of
  BPEM (Policy states that suggested measures of
  the BPEM should be used alternatives may be
  used through approval by Authority, equivalence
  based outcomes).
• Clause 15 gives statutory authority to enforce
  the BPEM.
• Key Issues
• Exclusion of new sites from areas of Segment A
  groundwater.
• Exclusion of new sites from areas lt 2 metres
  separation between waste and groundwater

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BEST PRACTICE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SITING,
DESIGN, OPERATION AND REHABILITATION OF LANDFILLS

• EPA Publication 788
• Recognises the waste hierarchy
• Provides siting guidance physical and planning
  attributes. Community and conservation issues.
• Sets liner and cap performance criteria.
• Recognises key role of leachate of leachate
  colletion system
• Construction QA
• Guidance on operational practices.
• Guidance on Rehabilitation and Aftercare.

Note unlicensed landfills not necessarily
covered by BPEM.
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BEST PRACTICE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SITING,
DESIGN, OPERATION AND REHABILITATION OF LANDFILLS

• The objectives and required outcomes are
  mandatory and reflect minimum requirements of
  policy.
• Suggested Measures are default means of achieving
  required outcomes.
• Where alternative means are put forward to
  achieve objectives then a risk based assessment
  will be required and approved by EPA.

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Rehabilitation of Landfills Exempt from Licensing
(Pub. No. 674)

• Relatively old document (Nov. 1999)
• It is a guideline only aimed at the
  rehabilitation and closure of small rural
  landfills (served population less than 5000
  people).

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BPEM CLASSIFICATION OF LANDFILLSClassification
of landfills is based on wastes to be received.
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BPEM SITING OF LANDFILLS

• There are 4 basic types of landfill recognised in
  the BPEM
• Area Method (existing hole filled)
• Trench and fill method (hole excavated)
• mound method (above ground)
• valley fill
• Those in red are preferred by EPA.

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BPEM BUFFER DISTANCES
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GROUNDWATER PROTECTION
Landfills should not be located in areas of
potable groundwater (Segment A), groundwater
recharge areas or in areas identified by the
Water Act 1989 as a groundwater supply protection
area, or below the regional water table.
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SURFACEWATER PROTECTION

• Landfills should not be located in
• Wetlands protected under Ramsar JAMBA treaties.
• Marine and coastal reserves listed in schedule 4
  of the National Parks Act 1975.
• Water Supply Catchments proclaimed under the
  Catchment and Land Protection Act.
• Land liable to flooding (1 in 100 yr).

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BPEM DESIGN LINER PERFORMANCE
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BPEM DESIGN LINER
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BPEM LINER PERFORMANCE
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CONSTRUCTION QUALITY ASSURANCE
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BPEM CAP DESIGN
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COMMON PROBLEMS
Settlement Cracking
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COMMON PROBLEMS
Tree Roots
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BPEM CAP DESIGN
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COMPOSITE CAP LINER

• Compacted Clay Liner
• VFPE Liner
• Cover soils
• Active Gas Well Penetration

ACTIVE GAS MANAGEMENT
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PASSIVE GAS MANAGEMENT

• Gas Trench
• slotted pipe
• aggregate
• geotextile
• Gas Vent
• riser pipe
• concrete footing

PASSIVE GAS VENT
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BPEM AFTER CARE MANAGEMENT
The owner of a landfill could be liable for any
pollution event for the indefinite future. EPA
may require a financial assurance to cover after
care and long term liability.
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CLOSURE
GRASS AND SHRUBS ON SOIL MOUNDS
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CLOSURE
EROSION PROTECTION
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• Thankyou