The principal legislation governing waste management and landfill disposal of waste in NSW is the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. Landfills receiving waste from off-site must hold an environment protection licence issued by the EPA under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997. There are some exceptions, mainly relating to sites receiving small quantities of building and demolition waste, virgin excavated natural material or waste tyres. Schedule 1 of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 should be referred to for more information about these licensing thresholds. The landfill occupier must not pollute waters in breach of section 120, cause air pollution in breach of sections 124, 125 or 126, or emit offensive odour in breach of section 129 of the Act.
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Landfill licenses issued by the EPA list the types of waste that the landfill can receive. General solid waste and restricted solid waste can be disposed of in landfills licensed to receive those waste types. Restricted solid waste contains higher (up to four times) levels of contaminants than general solid waste; therefore, restricted solid waste landfills must be managed with more stringent environmental controls than those for general solid waste landfills.
The following minimum standards apply to the design, construction and operation of landfills in New South Wales. Please note, these are a set of basic minimum standards:
- Leachate barrier system – The landfill must have a leachate barrier system to contain leachate and prevent the contamination of surface water and groundwater over the life of the landfill.
- Leachate storage and disposal – Collected leachate must be stored in appropriately sized dams or tanks and disposed of so as not to cause environmental harm.
- Stormwater management – Controls must be implemented to minimise erosion and reduce the sediment load (suspended solids) of stormwater discharged from the site.
- Water quality monitoring – a water quality monitoring program must be implemented.
- Landfill gas management and monitoring – A landfill gas monitoring program must be established to detect surface emissions of gas, sub-surface migration of gas, or accumulation of gas in buildings and other structures at potentially dangerous levels.
- Waste acceptance and site security procedures – the landfill must implement waste acceptance, reporting and site security procedures that meet the following goals; only authorised wastes must be received at the site; any unauthorised wastes delivered to the site must be appropriately managed and disposed of lawfully; statutory record-keeping and reporting requirements must be complied with; the premises must be secure, and unauthorised entry must be prevented.
- Covering of waste – Landfilled waste must be covered daily and at intermediate stages of operation to minimise odour, dust, litter, the presence of scavengers and vermin, the risk of fire, rainwater infiltration into the waste (and therefore the amount of leachate generated) and the emission of landfill gas.
- Final capping and vegetation – All completed landfill cells must be capped and revegetated within 6 months of the final delivery of waste to the cell.
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