Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount of air pollution control residues that will be disposed of by an alternative route in 2015-16 in the event that the Government proceeds with the removal of the derogation in the Waste Framework Directive that allows air pollution control residues to be disposed to hazardous landfill.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
No information has been collected to inform an estimate of waste producers’ plans for managing their air pollution control residues (APCr) in future.
The Environment Agency consulted on proposals to remove derogations from landfill site permits that allow disposal of APCr which do not meet waste acceptance criteria at landfill sites for hazardous waste. This consultation also sought information on available and planned recovery and disposal capacity.
Current capacity for treating/disposing of APCr is estimated at around 400,000 tonnes. Of this capacity, 47% was for disposal in landfill for hazardous waste.
Based upon the consultation responses, capacity for treating/disposing of APCr is estimated to rise to more than 700,000 tonnes by the end of 2016, 38% of which would be for disposal in landfills for hazardous waste.
Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of dioxin and furan that would be dispersed into the domestic built environment from recovered air pollution control residues as a consequence of the Environment Agency accepting End of Waste status for use in breeze blocks if the derogation in the waste framework directive allowing air pollution control residues to be disposed to hazardous landfill is removed.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency considers that some concrete block products from a particular process containing air pollution controls residues (APCr) are no longer waste. The environmental risk assessment for this was for a bound use of the APCr in blocks, rather than unbound. Research supporting the case showed that, bound within the block, measurable levels were not released. Where blocks were drilled, the exposure level of dioxins into the air was below World Health Organisation exposure limits.
Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost to the waste recovery industry of building capacity to recover end-of-life products from air pollution control residues in 2015-16 if the derogation in the Waste Framework Directive allowing air pollution control residues to be disposed to hazardous landfill is removed.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Defra has not made any estimate regarding the cost to the waste recovery industry of the withdrawal of this derogation. Should there be any proposal to remove the derogation, this would be subject to an impact assessment.
Asked by: Christopher Pincher (Independent - Tamworth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the tonnes of air pollution control residues that will be recovered as an end-of-life product in 2015-16 if the derogation in the Waste Framework Directive allowing air pollution control residues to be disposed to hazardous landfill is removed.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The current capacity in England to recover air pollution residues into end of waste products is approximately 40,000 tonnes.
The EA does not collect the commercial information required to make an estimate.