Minimum Requirements

4.
Minimum Requirements

Waste may only be disposed of on a landfill that has a permit from the Department of Water Affairs & Forestry (DWAF), in accordance with Section 20 (1) of the Environment Conservation Act, Act 73 of 1989.

To set standards and help with the issuing of permits, the Department has published a Waste Management Series, consisting of three documents which cover

(i) Minimum Requirements for the Handling, Classification and Disposal of Hazardous Waste

(ii) Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill

(iii) Minimum Requirements for Water Monitoring at Waste Management Facilities

The second edition was published in 1998 and a third edition is due shortly. These documents contain waste management guidelines and the minimum standards that must be met to protect the environment. The Department requires that anyone dealing with waste should at the very least meet these standards and guidelines – hence the term Minimum Requirements.

The Minimum Requirements are there to ensure that waste does not cause pollution, be it in waste collection, transport, treatment or disposal. If a landfill site cannot meet the requirements, it will not be given a permit to operate. Sites that are permitted must be externally audited at least annually in the case of general sites, and twice annually in the case of hazardous sites. These audits are generally compliance audits. In instances where existing landfills are unable to comply with the appropriate Minimum Requirements within an agreed period, they may have to be closed in accordance with the Minimum Requirements for closure.

Landfilling is environmentally acceptable if properly carried out, but should it not be
managed properly, has the potential to have adverse impacts on the environment.
These impacts may be divided into short terms impacts or long term impacts. The
former include problems such as noise, flies, odour, air pollution and aesthetics.

Short term impacts arise generally due to poor waste disposal operations. These impacts should cease with the closure of the landfill. Long term impacts include problems such as pollution of surface and ground water and landfill gas generation. These problems are generally associated with incorrect landfill site selection, design, preparation or operation and may persist long after the landfill site has been closed. The approach to the Minimum Requirements is based on the Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) approach. This promotes the proactive control of pollution, by integrating environmental aspects into the planning of developments.

The general characteristics of Minimum Requirements are as follows:

􀂃 The rule rather than the exception decides a Minimum Requirement

􀂃 Minimum Requirements tend to concentrate on objectives and principles, rather than on detail.

􀂃 Numerical requirements have been used with discretion

􀂃 The degree to which a Minimum Requirement is applicable is not specified

􀂃 Accepted principles are adopted

􀂃 Historically accepted practice is the basis for certain Minimum Requirements

􀂃 Practicality often dictates less than the ideal, so that Minimum Requirements will sometimes fall short of the ideal.

􀂃 The Minimum Requirements address basic administrative procedures.

Volume 2 of Minimum Requirements covers Waste Disposal by landfill.

The commissioning of a new landfill follows at the end of a lengthy process. This process includes long term planning and information gathering, as well as early consultation with interested and affected parties (I&APs), stakeholders and communities. The key areas of attention are site selection, landfill design, landfill operations, landfill closure and monitoring

Good landfill site selection provides for simple cost-effective design, which, provided the site preparation is correctly carried out, provides for good operation. The criteria which would influence landfill site selection will include economic considerations, environmental considerations and public acceptance considerations. The design of the landfill is based on the outcome of the site investigation and environmental impact assessment. The design must minimise the risk of water pollution by leachate and make provision for sufficient cover to isolate the waste body from the environment. Sufficient cover must be provided for both the landfill operation and final closure and end-use. It is a Minimum Requirement that landfills be operated in accordance with the following sanitary landfill principles:

􀂃 The compaction of waste
This reduces voids in the waste, thereby reduces the chances of channelling which promotes the rapid infiltration and migration of any leachate formed. It also reduces the risk of fires, discourages vermin, controls litter, reduces the amount of cover required and increases site life.

􀂃 The covering of waste on a daily basis
The main purpose is to eliminate odour. It also reduces scavenging and generally improves aesthetics.

Closure of a landfill will involve the application of final cover, topsoiling, vegetating, drainage maintenance, gas management and leachate management. Any remedial design and rehabilitation must be based on appropriate investigation. After closure, the landfill can then be utilised in terms of its designed end-use. All landfills except those closed prior to August 1990, must be permitted before they can be considered legally closed. Landfills closed prior to 1990 may need to be rehabilitated if considered necessary by the Department.

Monitoring is a control mechanism which is applied throughout the development of a landfill. During the site preparation and liner placement, operation, rehabilitation and post-closure the impact of the landfill on the environment is always considered. The monitoring includes gas monitoring and water quality monitoring. Post-closure monitoring may occur for up to 30 years or more after the closure of the site.

Volume 1 of Minimum Requirements covers issues pertaining to the handling, classification and disposal of hazardous waste. The objectives are as follows:

􀂃 Promote the avoidance, re-use, recycling and treatment of waste 􀂃 Develop a waste classification system whereby waste can be classified according to the risk it poses

􀂃 Provide controlling authorities, generators, transporters and managers of waste with guidelines so that hazardous waste can be effectively controlledfrom generation to safe disposal (cradle-to-grave)

􀂃 Prevent hazardous waste entering the environment illegally

􀂃 Effectively manage and administer the issuing of waste disposal site permits

The following principles considered internationally as being essential for the management of hazardous waste are also acknowledged in the Minimum Requirements. They are:

􀂃 Duty of care – the generator retains the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the waste is handled, stored, transported and disposed of according to the legislation and in an environmentally sound and responsible manner.

􀂃 Polluter pays principle – the person or organisation causing pollution is liable for any costs involved in cleaning it up or rehabilitating its effects

􀂃 Precautionary principle – waste or an identified contaminant is highly hazardous or toxic unless otherwise proven.

POLLUTION NEWS
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Sumber:
Core Notes for Module 6 (Elective) of the Course
“Environmental Engineering – Sustainable Development in Coastal Areas”
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
Cape Town, South Africa
2006
Available to Distance Learners on www.dlist-benguela.org