Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Government monitors emissions of persistent organic pollutants by waste incineration facilities.
The relevant persistent organic pollutants for waste incineration facilities are dioxins and furans, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Monitoring of these substances in the emissions from waste incinerators is done on a quarterly basis in the first year of the incinerator’s operation and twice a year thereafter. The monitoring contractors and equipment that they use must be approved or certified under the Environment Agency’s Monitoring Certification Scheme to ensure reliable results.