§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) which UK heat stations other than Byker have used incinerator ash for construction; [126334]
(2) what data (a) the Government and (b) the Environment Agency hold on levels of dioxin contamination in incinerator ashes. [126335]
495W
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 20 June 2000]: Data on levels of dioxins in ash sent for disposal are not routinely held by the Agency or my Department.
The operators of incineration plant are required by section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to provide sufficient information to those managing waste ash to ensure that is it disposed of appropriately, for example chemical and physical information. They are also required to ensure that ashes which contain hazardous substances above certain thresholds are disposed of in accordance with the Special Waste Regulations 1996 (as amended).
Commercially processed incineration bottom ash is currently supplied to the construction market from the following incinerators: Edmonton, SE London Combined Heat and Power (SELCHP), and Tyseley.
Data from these incinerators indicate that the processed ash entering the construction market has dioxin concentrations of between 20 to 50 ng/kg toxic equivalent, which falls within the range observed in urban soils.