How tipping of inert waste is organised at La Collette

1240/5(4716)

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICES BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. MARY

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 8th SEPTEMBER 2009

Question

Could the Minister advise the Assembly how tipping of inert waste is organised at La Collette? Could the Minister ensure that the answer includes the following:

• A general outline of the system in use;

• How the different loads are sorted/allocated/counted/charged;

• How the decision is taken of what goes where and on what basis;

• What safeguards are built in to avoid errors which might lead to contamination of the sea or air, or land; and

• What enforcement measures may be used against contractors delivering to the site?

Answer

General Outline of Systems

Inert waste is received on the weighbridge at La Collette Reclamation site. The weighbridge operator enquires as to what type of waste the driver has on board and who it is being tipped for.

If the load is acceptable to the site (under the waste acceptance criteria for the site licence), the operator will record via the computerised weighing system, the date and time, ticket number, vehicle registration number, company name, type of waste, charge rate and value, order number or reference, gross, tare and net weights. The driver signs for the transaction on departure.

Based on the type of waste being delivered the driver will be instructed to drive to the appropriate tipping area within the site for that waste. The tip attendant will then inspect the load to see if there are any obvious contaminants on board before the load is allowed to be tipped. In the case of inert waste the tip attendant will then instruct the driver to tip the load at least four metres from the tip head. This is done in order to minimise the risk of a collapse of the tip face and also to allow the tip attendant or machine operator to re-inspect the load for wastes that are not acceptable for general fill, prior to pushing the waste over the tip edge.  On acceptance of the load the driver is then directed to leave the site via the weighbridge, where they will complete the weighing out procedures.

Any suspected non-conforming loads are quarantined by the tip operators and the driver is immediately informed that his load may not be acceptable for disposal at the site.  The suspect load will then undergo further inspections both visually, and if necessary by chemical analysis.

Loads are visually inspected for various contaminants such as high levels of organics, cement bonded asbestos, asbestos insulation board, ash from any source, metals, hydrocarbons and non-inert waste.  If any of these materials are detected the load will be sorted as far as practical or removed from the tip head and a decision will be made on the appropriate method of disposal.  Any loads that are found to be unacceptable will either be rejected and sent off site or impounded, but in either case both the customer delivering the waste and, if appropriate, the waste regulator will be informed of the decision.

Separation of Waste Categories

Quantities of inert waste that are not acceptable for general land-filling  but which can be dealt with within La

Collette Reclamation Site are processed as follows:

Asbestos - asbestos is received at the site every other Wednesday morning. Each load must be pre-booked via the waste regulator who then informs the site office of the number of loads to be accepted at La Collette. This information includes the waste consignment note number and the person delivering the waste. Acceptance of loads of asbestos is dealt with by the certified contractor CAC Environmental Services and air monitoring and quality control is carried out by the environmental contractor Normandie Analytical Services.

Organics - loads with high levels of organics will either be sent to the green waste reception (if containing very little soil) or will be sent to the bannelais reception area sited on top of a lined area for subsequent composting.

Ash - Loads containing ash from any source will be recorded and then directed to lined ash bays for containment and burial.

Metals - quantities of metals from loads received on site will be separated and deposited into metal skips for later removal to the Bellozanne scrapyard.

Hydrocarbons - any quantities of soil which may contain hydrocarbons for any reason (such as from brownfield sites) are required to be pre-notified to the waste regulator via the Planning process or the waste handling regulations. TTS are generally aware of these sites and will be involved in the decision making as to the correct disposal route for this waste, such as encapsulation or bioremediation.

Other loads delivered to the site which may be suspected of containing hydrocarbons due to the emission of odours or strange discolouration will be quarantined on site (usually be removal to a lined area) and sampling and analysis will be carried out. Disposal of these loads will then be decided upon based on the results of the analysis and the recommendations of the Waste Regulator.

Inert waste

Segregated - loads which contain high quantities of recyclable aggregates (greater than 80%) are diverted to our aggregate recycling centre managed by AAL Recycling Ltd, and are charged at a reduced rate to encourage recycling.

Non- Segregated - material mixed with lower levels of recyclable aggregates (less than 80%) are charged at the higher rate. However tipped loads which may be viable for recovery are collected from the tip head at the discretion of AAL Recycling Ltd. All remaining materials are incorporated into the general fill.

Recording of Loads and Charges

All loads delivered to the site are assessed by the weighbridge operator and tip attendant and based on their inspection the appropriate charge category is applied via a computerised weighing system which calculates the net weight of all loads and applies the appropriate charge. (see Appendix 1)

Safeguards

The Waste Management (Jersey) Law 2005 under Part 3, Section 23 (4) makes it an offence for waste to be disposed of in a manner that is likely to cause pollution. The initial responsibility is therefore on waste producers to dispose of waste in an environmentally responsible manner.

There are also a number of other regulatory and policy safeguards in place such as:

Development Control – controlling the development of any sites which may contain contamination due to their previous use.

Health Protection - involved in the control of all sites which may emit noise, dust or other substances potential injurious to human health and the environment.

Waste Regulator - who will be involved in the licencing of the transportation of any soils or materials that will have come from a potentially contaminated site, such as brown field sites, prior to delivery of the material to La Collette Reclamation Site or any other disposal facility within the Island.

TTS – There are three opportunities to inspect loads: the weighbridge operator on arrival, the tip attendant when placing the load and the machine operator before and during the incorporation into the general tip fill. At any of these stages any dubious materials can be quarantined until further inspections on its conformity can be carried out.

Enforcement Measures

TTS has no relevant regulatory powers and is regulated itself as the operator through the licensing system. However when potential problem loads are identified the material concerned is quarantined, the relevant regulatory bodies are informed and the Department has the option (via the Minister) to ultimately ban repeat offenders from the facilities.

Appendix 1