Exemption blow to off-site soil processing
Defra appears to have dealt a blow to quarry firms seeking an environmental permitting exemption for soil produced in excavations to be processed for re-use off-site, as it opens its formal consultation on the future of exemptions in environmental permitting.
In response to the Quarry Products Association’s (QPA's) proposal to remove the restriction on the use of manufactured soils away from their place of manufacture, the consultation document proposes this remain a permitted activity.
Defra believes the Paragraph 13 exemptions, under which the soil proposals come, are already too open to misuse. It states: “Paragraph 13 (EPR) has been one of the most abused of the current scheme of exemptions.
“Activities currently covered by this exemption have also resulted in noise and dust issues. As a result, this exemption has been split up into component parts and significantly tightened."
In terms of soil movement Defra fears contamination. Transporting soil to another site would transfer the problem, it feels. However, one industry expert today called the Defra proposal a “backward step” that fails to create a level playing field.
The consultation also suggests the use of inert waste for quarry restoration should remain a permitted activity, a position the QPA has argued strongly against.
“It is considered it would be too complicated to provide an exemption that meets all of the requirements of the Landfill Directive,” the consultation document states.
Covering the consultation document itself, along with a partial impact assessment and the draft regulations, the joint Defra, Welsh Assembly and Environment Agency consultation closes in October.
There are currently around 143,000 sites that have registered one or more exempt waste operations in England and Wales. Farms make up around 81,100 of these. The review seeks to find ”a more risk-base approach” to waste recovery and disposal.
In response to the Quarry Products Association’s (QPA's) proposal to remove the restriction on the use of manufactured soils away from their place of manufacture, the consultation document proposes this remain a permitted activity.
Defra believes the Paragraph 13 exemptions, under which the soil proposals come, are already too open to misuse. It states: “Paragraph 13 (EPR) has been one of the most abused of the current scheme of exemptions.
“Activities currently covered by this exemption have also resulted in noise and dust issues. As a result, this exemption has been split up into component parts and significantly tightened."
In terms of soil movement Defra fears contamination. Transporting soil to another site would transfer the problem, it feels. However, one industry expert today called the Defra proposal a “backward step” that fails to create a level playing field.
The consultation also suggests the use of inert waste for quarry restoration should remain a permitted activity, a position the QPA has argued strongly against.
“It is considered it would be too complicated to provide an exemption that meets all of the requirements of the Landfill Directive,” the consultation document states.
Covering the consultation document itself, along with a partial impact assessment and the draft regulations, the joint Defra, Welsh Assembly and Environment Agency consultation closes in October.
There are currently around 143,000 sites that have registered one or more exempt waste operations in England and Wales. Farms make up around 81,100 of these. The review seeks to find ”a more risk-base approach” to waste recovery and disposal.
