Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC)
The Landfill Directive, as applied under the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, was introduced to reduce the heavy reliance on landfill and reduce the environmental impact of landfill.
Waste needs to be classified to strict guidelines and only waste of the correct category can be accepted at the appropriate landfill. Certain waste cannot be landfilled e.g. liquid waste, explosive waste etc.
Waste that can be landfilled is categorised as inert, stable non reactive non-hazardous or hazardous.
It is the responsibility of the primary waste producer to characterise their waste and it is quite likely that it will require testing. “One-off” wastes need testing every time they are produced.
Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) testing is predominately aimed at simulating the amount of hazardous substances that would leach from the waste though the passage of rainwater.
Tests are carried out at 2 different liquid (L) to solid (S) ratios in accordance with BS EN 12457-3:2002. Testing is carried out by leaching the sample at a rate of 2:1 (L/S) before re-leaching at a rate of 8:1 (L/S) creating eluates. After leaching, both eluates are analysed for the components identified. Once determined these results are combined, in a specific manner, to produce a cumulative 10:1 result as required by the regulations.
The following components are tested for:
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Arsenic
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Barium
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Cadmium
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Chromium (total)
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Copper
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Mercury
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Molybdenum
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Nickel
- Lead
AntimonySeleniumZincChlorideFluorideSulphate (as SO4)Phenol IndexDissolved Organic Carbon (at own pH)
In addition to the eluate analysis the following tests are required on the waste itself:
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Total organic carbon
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Loss on ignition
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BTEX
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PCB’S (7 CONGENERS)
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Mineral oil (>C10 TO C40)
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PAH
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pH
Nicholls Colton Analytical provides a fast, cost effective testing solution for WAC testing, contact us for details.