§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable there is for producing voluntary agreements on household hazardous waste after June 2004. [121983]
§ Mr. MorleyTaking into account the composition of the waste stream, and in particular the low recycling rate and the toxicity of the waste product., we will be looking over the next 12 months at the scope for a voluntary producer responsibility agreement to increase the recycling of waste consumer batteries. We will also review the household waste stream to see what the most398W hazardous elements are with a view to identifying other possible candidates for a voluntary producer responsibility agreement with industry.
§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department takes to ensure that gas emissions from landfill and hazardous waste sites do not pose any risk to public health. [122729]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 30 June 2003]: The Environment Agency regulates gaseous emissions from landfill and hazardous waste sites to minimise the damage to the environment and risk to human health. In particular, the Agency requires that appropriate measures are taken to control the accumulation and migration of landfill gas. Typically this will involve the active collection, treatment and combustion of landfill gas to minimise the potential impacts.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statutory framework regulates the discharge of untreated hazardous liquid waste directly to sewage treatment plants for disposal; and if she will list the permitted chemical and biological components of such waste. [122756]
§ Mr. MorleySewerage undertakers have powers to control and reduce discharges of substances such as untreated hazardous liquid waste into sewers. If they consider the discharge constitutes trade effluent, their consent is required in accordance with the provisions of the Water Industry Act 1991. The consent may set conditions and require the elimination or diminution of any specified constituent of the trade effluent before it enters the sewer. Such a discharge without the undertaker's agreement is a criminal offence.
Applications for any special category effluent have to be referred to the Environment Agency before consent can be given. Where the effluent is produced as part of a prescribed process, it will also require a permit from the Agency under the Environment Act 1995 and the Pollution, Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/1973).
Where a sewerage undertaker agrees to accept liquid waste delivered to a sewage works by road tanker, the reception, storage, and pre-treatment of the waste is additionally controlled by waste management law (a waste management licence or Pollution Prevention Control Permit depending upon the activities and their scale). The final effluent produced by the works and released back into the environment must meet the conditions or standards required in a Discharge Consent issued by the Environment Agency under the Water Resources Act 1991.
No list of permitted chemical and biological components exists as such. Each case has to be assessed individually and will depend on the capabilities of the specific treatment works and the quality standards to be achieved in the receiving waters.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many litres of untreated hazardous liquid waste were sent directly to sewage treatment plants for disposal in each year since 1999. [122757]
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§ Mr. MorleyThe information requested is not held centrally. However, the Environment Agency is compiling the information and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the hazardous wastes which her Department and the Environment Agency have decided(a) can be adequately treated by dilution and (b) require additional treatment for disposal. [122764]
§ Mr. MorleyDilution is not generally considered to be the best practicable environmental option for disposal of hazardous waste, although technically it would be possible to operate such a process subject to the conditions of an environmental licence or authorisation (permit) to ensure the protection of the environment and human health.
Implementation of the Landfill Directive to meet the EU Waste Acceptance Criteria will require all wastes to be treated before they are landfilled. Dilution would not be an acceptable form of treatment.