Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency takes to ensure that landfill sites practices are in line with environmental regulations.

Prospective landfill site operators must apply to the Environment Agency for an environmental permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.

The Environment Agency will assess whether proposed operations can comply with the regulations. If it is satisfied, the Environment Agency will issue a permit, which will include conditions to ensure the operator complies with relevant legislation and manages its activities so that it does not cause pollution.

Permits include limits on emissions of polluting substances to the wider environment. These include emissions:

• to groundwater;

• of landfill gas;

• that may affect amenity (e.g. noise, odour, dust, pests).

To assess compliance with the permit, the Environment Agency:

• routinely visits landfill sites and meets with the operator;

• audits the operator’s management system and activities against the permit conditions and best practice;

• responds to complaints about the landfill site and monitors impacts on local communities where necessary;

• reviews and approves (or rejects) development plans;

• reviews reports required by the permit including the operator’s monitoring data and records of waste accepted.

The Environment Agency takes action where it identifies non-compliance with permit conditions in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Guidance.