Waste
landfilled
WA-1
Waste Pressure
1 Indicator
definition and unit of measurement
This
indicator covers the total amount of waste which is landfilled to all types of
landfills: landfills for hazardous waste, landfills for municipal and
non-hazardous waste and landfills for inert waste.
Unit
of measurement: tonnes per year.
2 Placement
in the framework
5EAP:
Chapter
5: The themes and targets of the programme, section 5.7: Waste management.
Agenda
21:
Chapter
21: Environmentally-sound management of solid waste and sewage.
International
conventions and agreements:
Presently
no international agreements concerning a specific target for landfilling.
Ranking:
Core
ranking:
1
(79%)
Policy
Relevance:
5
(3.0)
Analytical
Soundness:
4
(2.9)
Responsiveness:
5
(2.8)
Most
appropriate related state indicator:
Global
warming by CO
2
and
CH
4
from
degradation of organic material, ozone depletion by CFCs, acidification from N
and S compounds, eutrophication by N, P and organic compounds, oxidant
formation by CH
4
and
other volatile organic compounds, (eco)toxicological effects from emissions of
metals and organic compounds by leachate and by gas from landfills.
3 Significance
Purpose:
The
main purpose of this indicator is to represent the amount of waste landfilled
which will give an indication of how far the waste management strategies and
programmes have come approaching the EU priority list of disposal methods.
Relevance:
An
increase in waste disposed of at landfills is unsustainable in the long run,
even though the landfills are controlled and complying with legal standards.
The NIBY effect (not in my back yard) will decrease the land resources
available for landfills. A sustainable waste management programme will
minimise the amount of waste to be landfilled by implementing EU’s list
of priorities: cleaner technology, minimisation, recycling, energy recovery
(incineration) and landfilling.
Linkages
to other pressure indicators:
The
indicator is closely linked to indicators in the fields of Resource Depletion,
Dispersion of Toxic Substances, Water Pollution & Water Resources, Marine
Environment & Coastal Zones and Urban Environmental Problems.
Targets:
No
specific target for waste deposited in landfills. Though, Agenda 21 recommends
that waste treatment objectives and standards based on the nature and the
assimilative capacity of the receiving environment are established by the year
2000.
4 Methodological
description and underlying definitions
Underlying
definitions and concepts:
The
amount of waste landfilled will be related to the national policy on waste
management, e.g. in some countries it is forbidden to landfill organic waste,
some combustible wastes etc. A stricter legislation for what to be landfilled
might cause a fall in the amount of waste disposed of at an approved landfill
and might increase the amount of illegally dumped waste, unless incentives are
made to avoid this. The alternative facilities such as recycling and
incineration should be available, economic incentives to use these alternatives
should be visible and enforcement of landfill legislation and regulation should
be strengthened.
Measurement
methods:
The
methods of measuring the total amount of waste to be landfilled could be
weighting systems at the landfills (measuring the incoming and in some cases
outgoing waste). The volume stated in cubic metre landfill produced per year
could be relevant in relation to land consumption. To evaluate the
environmental pressure, it is necessary to know how many tonnes of different
types/materials, in which form, are landfilled at which type of landfill (e.g.
whether the landfill complies with the landfill directive or not).
Limitations
of the indicator:
The
waste which is illegally disposed of at dumps would not be registered.
Alternative
definitions:
An
indicator measuring the total waste deposited in landfills in accordance with
Draft Proposal for a Council Directive on the Landfill of Waste (presented by
the Commission 5 March 1997).
