Guidance on Waste Incineration Directive
The Waste Incineration Directive
The Directive applies to incineration and co-incineration plants. Co-incineration plants include plant where waste is used as a fuel or is disposed of at a plant where energy generation or production is the main purpose.
A plant will only be an incineration plant or a co-incineration plant if it burns waste as defined in the Waste Framework Directive. Such wastes will include municipal waste, clinical waste, hazardous waste, general waste and waste-derived fuels. For the purposes of the Waste Incineration Directive (WID), hazardous waste means a waste identified as such in the European Waste Catalogue.
There are some important exclusions from the scope of the Directive, including plants burning only animal carcasses or, in many circumstances, vegetable and wood waste.
The Waste Incineration Regulations (NI) 2003
The Waste Incineration Regulations (NI) 2003 (Statutory Rule 2003 No 390 –'the Waste Incineration Regulations' hereinafter) came into force on 29 August 2003. Together with directions issued at the same time to the Chief Inspector as the enforcing authority on behalf of the Department, they transpose the Waste Incineration Directive, 2000/76/EC. The WID incorporates and extends the requirements of the 1989 municipal waste incineration (MWI) Directives (89/429/EEC and 89/369/EEC) and the Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive (94/67/EC), forming a single Directive on waste incineration and repealing those three Directives from 28 December 2005.
Waste Incineration Guidance
The guidance to the Directive, the Regulations and directions describe the scope, regulatory and technical requirements of the WID and how they should be interpreted and applied. It explains the main legal provisions, but the precise legal requirements can only be determined by the Courts. The guide is particularly intended for operators of incineration and co-incineration plants, the Chief Inspector, waste producers, statutory consultees and waste mangers, all of whom will be affected by the implementation of the WID.
