London Wider Waste Strategy - London - Greater London Authority

options to improve treatment, such as biological treatment, acid neutralisation, alkali
treatment, chromic acid treatment, cyanide treatment, precipitation, settlement,
dewatering, filtration, immobilisation, oil processing and blending.
• HTI (High Temperature Incineration). HTI can achieve up to 99.99% destruction
efficiencies. It removes organic material and leaves an ash. Currently HTI is used for
organic chemical wastes, and animal and clinical wastes.
• Co-incineration. Co-incineration has the benefit that plants are already capable of
accepting hazardous waste. Within the context of the current consultation on the
Substitute Fuel Protocol (SFP), the cement and lime industries are keen to increase
the numbers of alternative fuels in kilns. Currently cement kilns in the UK burn
waste oil.
6.73. The processes outlined above are possible options for the future treatment of hazardous
waste, and are likely to become part of hazardous waste management schemes in the
short to medium term. The major concern for hazardous waste producers at present is
short term hazardous waste management. However, it has been suggested that many
producers, especially at the SME level, remain unaware of the new regulations and their
potential impact. This is partly because their customers, i.e. the waste management
companies, have not informed them of the potential changes in disposal routes and
costs because they themselves do not yet know what they will be required to do since
the regulations and guidance have yet to be published. With the requirement for
treatment prior to landfill, and the lack of treatment facilities, there will be a surplus of
hazardous waste which presently cannot be treated. As previously highlighted, this
surplus may well build year on year until enough capacity is developed specifically for
the treatment of hazardous waste.
6.74. There are some concerns that amongst the confusion and the lack of legal routes for
disposal, criminals could thrive, and illegal handling and fly tipping could become more
common.
6.75. Short term plans have been discussed by the Environment Agency and other
organisations, with the following possibilities having been identified:
• Stockpile wastes on-site until the treatment facilities are available. However many
producers will not have sufficient area to stockpile their hazardous wastes, especially
for up to 5 years, and stockpiling for a significant period of time (e.g. over one
year) is not permissible without a waste management licence.
• Permit some warehouse premises for central stockpiling of hazardous wastes.
However, this is unlikely to happen by the 16 th July 2004 and is unlikely to be costeffective
for large volume wastes such as contaminated soils and effluents; and is
not necessarily practical for many waste streams unless they are drummed or
otherwise contained.
• Licensing of hazardous cells to take excess waste (none licensed to date).
• Export waste for recovery.
• Leave wastes (in particular contaminated soils) where they are. DEFRA suggest that
brownfield development should be put on hold until the problems of treatment
capacities have been solved. This is unrealistic, especially for the medium to longterm.
• Relax the co-incineration rules (however this is not acceptable within EU legislation)
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