Changes approved by the Parliament will hold waste incinerators accountable for the emissions they produce – if supported by the European Council. Previously, the wording in the directive left room for operators to neglect measures that could prevent emissions from incinerators during its most emission-intensive periods, like ignition or shutting down.
The new wording of the IED requires waste incineration operators to monitor and prevent emissions of persistent pollutants during all operating times.
Janek Vahk, Zero Pollution Policy Manager at Zero Waste Europe, states: “This vital amendment recognises the need for comprehensive monitoring of emissions during critical stages such as start-up and shut-down operations, as emissions during those situations can be significantly higher than emissions occurring during ‘normal operating conditions.’”
The amendment also calls on incinerator operators to improve transparency and reporting on air pollution by publishing raw data alongside laboratory reports.
“This is important as the data currently made available is based on calculated figures and averages which may give a misleading picture of actual emissions,” Vahk said. “The requirement to publish raw data rather than calculator averages will ensure higher levels of accountability and transparency from waste incineration and co-incineration plant operators. By making this information readily available to the public, operators are held to stricter environmental standards.”
Air pollution from waste incinerators pose severe health risks for those living nearby, especially in cities like Copenhagen, Brussels, and Paris where hundreds of thousands of inhabitants live downstream of incinerators.
To address this, the Parliament adopted wording that grants individuals the right to compensation for people suffering health issues as a result of illegal industrial emissions.
It acknowledges the potential adverse impacts on communities and individuals living in proximity to industrial facilities. It establishes an avenue for affected people to seek redress, reinforcing the importance of safeguarding public wellbeing and ensuring accountability for environmental harm.
These pivotal amendments are in line with Zero Waste Europe’s key recommendations, which were derived from two years of biomonitoring research conducted in partnership with ToxicoWatch.
The research findings exposed significant contamination levels of persistent pollutants in the vicinity of incinerators across three countries. The alarming presence of persistent pollutants underscores the urgency of implementing stringent regulations and monitoring mechanisms to protect both the environment and public health.
While the compensation right is positive news, the Parliament however removed wording which placed the responsibility on the polluter to prove that the violation did not cause damage to the claimant’s health, severely watering down the original text.
In addition, Zero Waste Europe is strongly urging the Council to support the wording adopted by the plenary vote, as well as any compromise positions reflecting the importance of these amendments.
