Environment Agency
As the site operator you must design and build your landfill to protect the environment. This guide explains the design requirements that you need to meet when you apply for an environmental permit.
You need to carry out risk assessments when you apply for or change an environmental permit. You must submit your risk assessments to the Environment Agency as part of your permit application.
Check what information to include in your hydrogeological risk assessment.
Your risk assessments must show that you have designed your site to manage the environmental risks from your activity. This must include the:
- stability of the lining and capping system, wastes and underlying geological strata
- effectiveness of the leachate collection system including the drainage layer, pipework, pumps and abstraction chambers
- effectiveness of any groundwater control systems including the drainage layers, pumps and abstraction points
- ability to maintain operational and management control of the leachate and groundwater systems
- ability to effectively collect landfill gas and prevent the migration of gas
The Environment Agency will only issue a permit if its satisfied that your proposed engineering design meets the necessary requirements. Your permit will include conditions that you must meet when constructing your landfill site.
Before you start constructing any new cell, development area or infrastructure you must submit your construction proposals to the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency will confirm whether its satisfied with your proposals.
You should also read the guide for how the Environment Agency makes decisions on landfill engineering.
You must have construction quality assurance (CQA) for the construction of all aspects of landfill engineering and infrastructure.
Engineering proposals at all landfill sites must:
- meet the design requirements set out in this guide
- prevent unacceptable discharges to ground and surface water and emissions over the entire lifecycle of the landfill
- be structurally and physically stable over the entire lifecycle of the landfill
Demonstrate little or no additional benefit
You may be able to demonstrate that a geological barrier or artificial sealing liner may not be needed if it would add little or nothing to protect soil and water. You must demonstrate this through a hydrogeological risk assessment.
You must submit your risk assessment to the Environment Agency as part of your permit application.
You must follow design, construction and quality assurance procedures for each element of your landfill engineering and infrastructure. These are:
- earthworks
- geological barrier
- leachate collection and sealing layer
- geosynthetic materials
- geosynthetic clay liners
- geomembranes
- geomembrane protection
- dense asphaltic concrete (DAC) lining systems
- leachate drainage and collection systems
- leachate drainage pipework
- separation geotextiles
- leachate extraction and monitoring systems
- leachate transfer and discharge pipework
- landfill gas extraction and monitoring
- landfill capping
You must construct each element of your landfill engineering and infrastructure to recognised industry best practice.
The Environment Agency encourages the development and use of new methods and materials where it results in improved or equivalent environmental protection. Find out more about how the Environment Agency makes decisions on landfill engineering.
For earthworks, the design and specification must follow the guidance for the specification for highway works. This guidance se
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