THE REUSE OF RESIDUES AND RECYCLED MATERIALS IN FINLAND general and legislative aspects

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THE REUSE OF RESIDUES AND RECYCLED MATERIALS IN
FINLAND- general and legislative aspects

• Anna-Maija Pajukallio
• Ministry of the Environment
• Finland
• Workshop in Stockholm
• 15.10.2004

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The Ecogeo Technology Programme 1994-1999

• Funded by TEKES, the National Technological
  Agency shared with companies and other
  organisations
• 10 ME
• 70 projects (50 product developments, 20 research
  projects)
• Main areas
• Remediation of contaminated soil
• Protection of ground water
• PROCESSING OF INDUSTRIAL BY-PRODUCTS AND SURPLUS
  SOIL MASSES INTO RECYCLED PRODUCTS FOR EARTH
  CONSTRUCTION

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By-products and Recycled Materials in Earth
Structurestwo TEKES- reports, 2000

• Materials and Applications
• http//www.tekes.fi/eng/publications/By_products_i
  n_earth_construction.pdf
• Assessment of Applicability
• http//www.tekes.fi/eng/publications/By_products_i
  n_earth_construction.pdf

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Example1 Ashes

• fly ash from coal-fired power stations 350 000
  t/a
• 55 road ad field construction, filling
• 30 production of cement and concrete
• 5 asphalt filler
• bottom ash from coal-fired power stations 78 000
  t/a
• 70 road and field construction
• fly ash from peat-fired power stations 180 000
  t/a
• 44 mainly filling
• bottom ash form peat-fired power stations 33 000
  t/a
• 33 mainly filling
• ashes from forest industry 210 000 t/a
• 55 landfill structures, forest fertiliser
• ashes from thermal treatment of municipal waste
  (increasing)

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Examples of other materials

• metallurgical slags (blast furnance, BOF, EAF,
  ferrochrome slag etc.)
• crushed concrete
• desulphuration residues from coal fired power
  plants
• processed soil materials
• process wastes of paper industry (fibre sludge,
  de-inking residue etc.)
• municipal wastes (shredded tires, crushed glass
  etc.)
• by-products of mining industry (flotation sand,
  surplus foundry sands etc.)
• etc.

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Assessment of applicability

• Technical suitability Environmental compliance
  Quality control
• A tired system for assessment of environmental
  applicability with three assessment levels
• concentrations of harmful components
• leaching of harmful components from unpaved and
  paved constructions
• risk assessment

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Generic procedure
inorganic substances
organic substances
Definition of acceptability
YES
Concentrations in the material - below target
values for soil ?
I Composition
NO

Environmental quality standards
NO
Solubility of substances (leaching tests) - below
solubility standards ? - long-term solubility
acceptable ?
II Solubility
YES
NO
III Composition, solubility, environmental condi
tions
Risk assessment (case-specific) - risks
acceptable ?
Case-specific assessment
NO
YES
Acceptable
Not acceptable
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Solubility standards (MPEs Maximum Permissable
Emission) Sorvari, Finnish Environment Institute
2000

• derivied using Dutch leaching models with the
  parameter values representative of Finnish
  conditions
• national guidelines values for contaminated soil
  (updating ongoing)
• national quality standards for domestic water
  (sulphate and chloride)
• worst case assumption for most parameters
• different values for paved and covered structures
• max layer of 70 (40 cm)
• predominately lower than Dutch values (mainly due
  to lower soil guideline values)
• SMART methods used to account for Pros Cons of
  reuse

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THE PRESENT SITUATION

• The use of natural mineral aggregates is 70 - 80
  Mt/year
• Industry and construction activities produce
  large quatities of potentially usable
  by-products/wastes
• total ca. 10 Mt/year used in earthworks
• An environmental permit (with pubic hearings) is
  needed for the professional reuse of wastes
• at the moment the situation is like in Wild West
  (or east)
• The legislation hinders the reuse?
• There is a need for a lightened practise
  ? A DECREE TO EXEMPT SOME
  WASTES HAS BEEN UNDER PREPARATION FOR FEW YEARS

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Directive on waste (75/442/EEC)

• The permit requirement (article 9)
• The exemption for permit requirement for
  establishments or undertakings that carry out
  waste recovery (article 11)
• if the authorities have adopted general rules for
  each type of activity laying down the types and
  quantities of waste and the conditions under
  which the activity in question may be exempted
  from the permit requirements
• The establishments and undertakings shall be
  registered with the component authorities
• MSs shall inform Comission of the general rules

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...continues

• Article 4 must comply
• there is no risk to water, air, soil, plants and
  animals
• without causing a nuisance through noise or
  odours
• without adversely affecting the countryside or
  places of interest
• AND FUTHERMORE
• A notification of a technical regulations
  beforehand to MSs/Comission

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the Finnish Environmental Protection Act - tools

• Directive on waste is implemented through
  Environmental Protection Act (86/2000) and Waste
  Act (1072/1993)
• no risk for health and environment is allowed
• soil and groundwater pollution prohibitions 7, 8
  
• permit requirement (institutional and commercial
  recovery of waste) 28
• derogation from the permit requirement 30
• separate Decree on commercial recovery
• small-scale experimental projects
• making entries in the database 65
• Using the tools from the Environmental Protection
  Act a Decree on the utilization of certain wastes
  in earth construction is now under preparation

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The Decree on the utilization of certain wastes
in earth construction, DRAFT (1/5)

• GENERAL CRITERIA
• non-hazardous waste
• mainly inorganic and as inert as possible
• environmental applicability assessed reliably
• the concentrations and leaching of the hazardous
  substances is well-known
• technical applicability assessed
• start with better known wastes (like crushed
  concrete and ashes), later examine and include
  others

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The Draft Decree (2/5)

• INSTITUTIONAL OR COMMERCIAL USE IN THE FOLLOWING
  EARTH CONSTRUCTIONS
• roads, streets, pavements and areas directly
  related to those (not noise barriers)
• parking lots, railway areas, sport fields,
  storage fields in industrial areas
• excluding constructions situated in classified
  groundwater areas

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The Draft Decree (3/5)

• REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REUSE
• restrictions concerning mixing
• waste layer thickness max 1,5 m
• no contact with groundwater and the distance to
  wells lt 50 m (30m?)
• the layer will be covered or paved
• the storage of the waste can start max 4 weeks
  before the construction starts (6 months when
  covered)

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The Draft Decree (4/5)

• THE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM (replacing permit)
• The user (the waste holder) makes a notification
  of the reuse to the regional environment centre
• The centre checks the notification without delay
  and makes entry in the environmental protection
  database
• The centre informs the user and the municipality
  about making entry and the reuse can begin

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The Draft Decree (5/5)

• THE CONTENT OF THE NOTIFICATION
• the information about the location (including
  map)
• the way of reusing plans for street etc.
• the name of the producer of the waste
• the name and quality of the waste, QC-system
• the storage of waste
• the structure of waste layer
• time of reuse

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The Draft Decree- appendix (1/2)

• WASTES INCLUDED
• crushed concrete (10 13 14, 17 01 01)
• fly and bottom ashes from power plants using
  coal, peat or wood (10 01 02, 10 01 01 10 01 03,
  10 01 15, 10 017 and 19 01 14)
• water and air-cooled blast-furnance slag
  considered as waste (10 02 02)
• more to come, after thorough assessment of
  applicability

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The Draft Decree -appendix (2/2)

• CRITERIA
• material-spesific criteria for basic
  characterisation and quality control
• po. composition and solubility standards
• proposal for a new solubility standards developed
  on the basis of EC decision (2003/33/EC)
  concerning inert waste
• QUALITY CONTROL
• includes testing methods

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Interpretation SORVARI 2004
NO
Waste listed in the Decree ?
YES
NO
Application in accordance with the Decree ?
YES
NO
Quality control system acceptable ?
YES
Composition solubility in accordance with
standards ?
NO
YES
Use with notification
Apply for permit
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Environmental acceptability of industiral
by-products in landfill constructions (1/2)

• Hundreds of landfills are currently being closed
  or waiting to be closed in Finland
• A proposal for the acceptance procedure and
  recommendations of parameters to be studied and
  methods were presented in report (VTT Research
  Notes 2246, 2004)
• Focus on mineral by-products in the mineral top
  layer
• fly ashes, sludges from paper industry and
  foundry wastes
• Proposed principals for the criteria
• the waste material has to be suitable for
  landfilling in the landfilling category in
  question
• the criteria need to be in line with the
  environmental criteria used for road construction
  materials

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Leaching studies Approach for mineral barrier
layer (2/2) (VTT PROCESS 2004)

• Water permeability lt 10-9 m/s
• leaching from top sealing diffusion-controlled
• 1. Dutch modified diffusion test (NVN7347)
• 2. Tank test (NEN7345)

Water contact

• Water permeability gt 10-9 m/s
• percolation of water through liner also critical
• 1. Nordic cell test
• 2. Percolation test

Function Reduction of the rainwater amount
percolating into the landfill waste
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What next?

• The decree on reuse of some waste materials in
  earth construction will be in force in spring
  2005?
• new waste types are included late 2005??
• TEKES - Streams project Reuse and final disposal
  of products from slag and ash generated in
  thermal treatment of community waste will be
  finalised in the end of 2004
• Still bottlenecks in reusing residues. A new
  development programme new material technology in
  building INFRAstructure will start in the
  beginning of 2006.

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Questions (the Decree)

• WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE CRITICAL LIMITATIONS AND
  ASSUMPTIONS IN PROPOSED GUIDELINES?
• The criterium is felt to be rather strict
  especially for ashes
• Doubts that the notification system is too
  byrocratic
• More wastes need to be included in the Decree
• Changes in national soil guideline values
• HOW WAS THE GUIDELINES PRESENTED TO THE PRODUCERS
  OF RESIDUES, POTENTIAL END-USERS AND PUBLIC? RISK
  COMMUNICATION?
• Common intrest -gt Technology programme, lots of
  studies, discussions and meetings
• POTENCIAL CONFLICTS WITH EUROPEAN WASTE
  LEGISLATION?
• The maximum quantity of waste might have to be
  added to the Decree (Judgement of the European
  court C-103/02)
• Definition of waste?
• FUTURE CHALLENGES?
• To get the Decree finally in force and complete
  it later with new materials!

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THANK YOU!

• anna-maija.pajukallio_at_
• ymparisto.fi