National Action Plan for Addressing Dioxins in Australia

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National Dioxins Program – National Action Plan for addressing dioxins in AustraliaThe Convention requires Parties to use BAT for new sources in the following categories as soon aspracticable but no later than four years after the entry into force of the Convention for that Party; thiswould be May 2008 for Australia:• waste incinerators, including co-incinerators of municipal, hazardous or medical waste or ofsewage sludge• cement kilns firing hazardous waste• production of pulp using elemental chlorine or chemicals generating elemental chlorine forbleaching• thermal processes in the metallurgical industry including secondary copper, aluminium andzinc production and sinter plants in the iron and steel industry.Parties are also required to promote and require the use of BAT and BEP to prevent the release ofdioxins for existing sources for the above industries as well as other categories including:• open burning of waste, including burning of landfill sites• thermal processes in the metallurgical industry not mentioned above• residential combustion sources• fossil fuel fired utility and industrial boilers• firing installation for wood and other biomass fuels• specific chemical production processes releasing unintentionally formed persistent organicpollutants, especially production of chlorophenols and chloranil• crematoria• motor vehicles, particularly those burning leaded gasoline• destruction of animal carcasses• textile and leather dyeing (with chloranil) and finishing (with alkaline extraction)• shredder plants for the treatment of end of life vehicles• smouldering of copper cables• waste oil refineries.An international Expert Group comprising representatives from Parties, including Australia, hasdeveloped draft guidelines on BAT and provisional guidance on BEP. These Guidelines are notprescriptive but will assist Parties in ensuring that facilities, which are known sources of dioxins, areoperating in line with world’s best practice. The first Conference of the Parties of the StockholmConvention (May 2005) recommended that Parties take the draft guidelines and provisional guidanceinto consideration, where practicable and feasible, in activities related to unintentionally producedpersistent organic pollutants. The Expert Group will undertake further work over the next two yearsto improve the information contained in the BAT and BEP guidelines with a view their considerationand adoption at the third Conference of the Parties in 2007. Consideration needs to be given todetermine how these guidelines will be implemented in a consistent manner in Australia and how theymight be reflected in regulatory requirements in jurisdictions.Article 6 of the Convention requires Parties to develop appropriate measures to eliminate releases ofPOPs from stockpiles and wastes by:17
National Dioxins Program – National Action Plan for addressing dioxins in Australia• developing appropriate strategies for identifying stockpiles, products and articles containing,consisting of or contaminated with POPs• implementing measures to reduce or eliminate releases from stockpiles and wastes containingPOPs in a manner that protects human health and the environment• taking appropriate measures to ensure that waste products containing dioxins are handled in anenvironmentally friendly manner and are disposed of in a way that destroys the POPs content• endeavouring to develop strategies for identifying sites contaminated with POPs; ifremediation is required then it must be done in an environmentally sound manner.The three management plans developed under the National Strategy for the Management of ScheduledWastes will contribute to meeting these obligations.18
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National Action Plan for Addressing Dioxins in Australia

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