International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

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� Lindane to Annex A;
� Pentachlorobenzene to Annex A and C; and
� Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride to
Annex B.
Within Europe, this is likely to lead to a revision of Regulation 850/2004, and this will
have knock-on implications for Ireland.
The use of best available techniques for new sources within the major source
categories, including incineration of municipal waste, is promoted and, in accordance
with the implementation schedule of a country’s action plan, is required.
The Convention also foresees identification and safe management of stockpiles
containing or consisting of POPs; this can include incineration residues. Waste
containing, consisting of, or contaminated with, POPs should be disposed of in such a
way that the POP content is destroyed or irreversibly transformed. Where this does
not represent the environmentally preferable option or where the POP content is low,
waste shall be otherwise disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Disposal
operations that may lead to the recovery or re-use of POPs are forbidden, a barrier to
the re-use of incinerator air pollution control residues.
It should be noted that at present, the ‘low POPs level’ is currently set at 15 parts per
billion for dioxin by Reg 1195/2006. 36 This level is higher than the dioxin levels which
are likely to be found in modern incinerator air pollution control residues but is likely
to be reduced in the future to a lower threshold as the Regulation requires that the
issue is revisited and parties at the Fourth Conference of the Parties (COP4) to the
Stockholm Convention have expressed concern that the levels need to be reduced.
1.8 Summary
In respect of waste management, there are some increasingly strong markers
provided in respect of policy development. The revised Waste Framework Directive
gives greater emphasis than has been present hitherto to the priority position
accorded to waste prevention. Also, the revised Directive suggests that policy would
do well to take heed of the requirement to:
� Develop objectives in line with the hierarchy outlined in Article 4 of the WFD,
though with departures from this ranking made clear where the case, based
on life-cycle thinking, justifies this;
� Include a specific programme for waste prevention. A forward looking strategy
would pre-empt the decoupling objective foreseen by the WFD. Ireland’s
National Waste Prevention Programme is a foresightful development in this
regard;
36 European Commission (2006) Council Regulation (EC) No 1195/2006 of 18 July 2006 amending
Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on persistent
organic pollutants. Official Journal of the European Union, 2006: p. L217/1 - 217/3
International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes