1. Introduction

• waste acceptance criteria for two classes of landfills (Class A and Class B), including concentration limits covering a greater range of contaminants than those currently specified in the US EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) list
• a landfill classification system
• a definition of liquid waste
• a list of prohibited wastes
• flowcharts clearly outlining the waste acceptance and landfill classification process
• model resource consent conditions for Class A and Class B landfills.

The following sections provide a context for the proposed waste acceptance criteria and landfill classification guidelines, and the background to the development of the approach adopted.

Landfills without effective containment increase the likelihood of the discharge of hazardous contaminants to the environment. There are many inconsistencies in the design and management of landfills throughout New Zealand, and many operate with vague, subjective or ineffective controls on hazardous waste disposal. Current New Zealand approaches to the landfill disposal of hazardous wastes are out of alignment with international best practice.

The Ministry for the Environment believes that policy instruments for controlling hazardous waste disposal should be adopted at a national level (as opposed to being developed locally). The following factors result in inconsistency and increased risk to the environment.

• Many landfills operate with inappropriate or ineffective waste acceptance criteria.
• A variety of approaches have been used for setting waste acceptance criteria.
• Hazardous wastes are easily transported across regional boundaries.
• In some cases New Zealand waste acceptance criteria in landfill resource consent conditions are inconsistent with international best practice.
• Policy set nationally by central government can provide waste generators and the waste management industry with both certainty and a level playing field.

This module outlines a method for classifying landfills based on the level of natural and engineered containment. The relevant sections are:

• Section 4: Landfill Classification
• Appendix D: Landfill Classification - Class A Requirements
• Appendix E: Assessing Alternative Solutions for Class A Landfills.

The Ministry proposes that the 'class' of a landfill be assessed through the existing resource consent process (including review) in order to identify the appropriate waste disposal controls to put in place through consent conditions.

The Waste Acceptance Criteria and Landfill Classification system has been developed following:

• general consultation through an issues and options report
• an examination of international approaches to waste acceptance criteria, including a study tour to Australia and consideration of approaches adopted in Europe and the USA
• ongoing consultation with key stakeholders, including regulators, landfill operators and waste producers
• development of an approach to landfill classification for New Zealand (Basis for Landfill Classification System, URS New Zealand Limited, 2001)
• development of waste acceptance criteria for Class A landfills (Waste Acceptance Criteria for Class A Landfills, URS New Zealand Limited, 2003).

In addition to the waste acceptance criteria work programme, several other documents have provided the technical basis for the development of the guideline:

• The 2002 Landfill Review and Audit, Ministry for the Environment, 2003
• The Landfill Guidelines, Centre for Advanced Engineering, 2000
• Waste Acceptance Criteria at Landfills, SCS-Wetherill Environmental, 1999
• Review of Overseas Approaches to the Management and Landfilling of Hazardous Waste, Environment and Business Group, 1997
• Towards a New Zealand Definition of Hazardous Waste, Ministry for the Environment, 1999
• Guidelines for the Management of Hazardous Waste - Module 1: Identification and Record-keeping, Ministry for the Environment, 2002.