16.12.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC332/49
Voting
For:30,against:53,abstentions :1.
Point3.5.1
Replacethelastsentenceby:
'TheCommitteerecognizestheadvantagesofin-companyauditteams(knowledgeofprocessesbeingaudited,
motivationtoacceptimprovements ,thelearningprocess)ifthecompanypossessesthenecessaryresources;
atleastonememberoftheauditteam,however,shouldbeindependentoftheparticularunitbeingaudited.
Ifthenecessaryresourcesarenotavailable(asmaybethecasewithsomeSMEs)thenexternalauditors
shouldbeusedtheCommitteerecognizesthat,inanycase,externalverificationwouldensuretheadequacy
andcredibilityoftheaudit.'
Reasons
Experienceteachesthatin-companyauditinghasmanyadvantagesleadingtobetterprotectionofthe
environment ,asmentionedabove.Toavoid'blindnessduetofamiliarity'atleastonememberofthein­
companyauditteamshouldbeindependentoftheunitbeingaudited.
Ofcourse,whenevertheresourcesofthecompanyconcernedarenotadequatetocarryoutaproperaudit,
thenexternalauditors(consultants )mustbeused.Finally,shouldtherebeafeelingofdistrustintheconcept
ofcompaniesconductingaself-audit,thentheexternalverificationwhichhasbeenintroducedintothe
Regulationwillensurethatthisdistrustisnotjustified.
Voting
For:32,against:55,abstentions :8.
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveontheincinerationofhazardouswaste(1)
(92/C332/16
On7April1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100aoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
29September1992.TheRapporteurwasMrColombo.
Atits300thPlenarySession(meetingof22October1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyalargemajoritywithfiveabstentions .
1.Generalcomments
1.1.Giventhathazardouswasteincineratorsmust
minimizetherisksofpollutionfromsuchsubstances,
(!)OJNoC130,21.5.1992,p.1.theCommitteeendorsesthepurposeoftheproposal,
whichismainlydesignedtopreventandthusreduce
pollutionofair,soil,surfaceandgroundwatercaused
bytheincinerationofhazardouswaste.Ithopesthat
therigorousenvironmental protectionmeasuresbeing
proposedwillhelptoincreasethepublicacceptability
ofincineration insuitablelocations.

NoC332/50 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 16.12.92
plans,inparticularthemethodsofdisposaland
recovery .1.2.TheCommitteenotestheproposedlegalbasis
andrecallsthecommentsmadeinearlierOpinions
regardingthechoicebetweenArticle100aand130sas
thebasisforlegislationonwaste.
1.9.Abetterpreventiveapproachtoincineration
mayalsoresultfromadoptionoftheproposalonan
Eco-audit(4),whichshouldencouragefirmstoimprove
their'environmentaloutput',theproposaloncivilliab­
ilityfordamagecausedbywaste(5),andotherforth­
comingproposalsonwastemanagement .1.3.TheCommitteenotesthattheproposalalso
comesinthewakeoftheCouncilResolutionof7May
1990onwastepolicy(*),whichsetsoutguidelinesfor
anoverallCommunitystrategyforwastemanagement ,
placingtheemphasisonpreventionatsource.
1.4.CommitteeOpinionsonwaste(2)haveallhigh­
lightedtheneedforanoverallpreventiveapproach.It
isworthreiteratingthispoint,sincethepresentpro­
posaldoesnotseemtotakeitintosufficientaccount,
beingdesignedtoregulatetheultimateeffectonthe
environment ofhazardouswasteincineration .
1.5.TheCommitteeobviouslysupportstheobjective
ofreducingpollutantemissionsfromincineration
plants.However,ittakestheopportunitytoreiterate
thewiderneedforactionateverystageoftheprocess
ofproduction,distributionandconsumption—'from
cradletograve'—particularlyinthecaseofhazardous
waste.1.10.TheCommitteestressestheurgentneedto
harmonizetheterminologyofthewastesectorandto
setupareliableinformationsystemconcerningthe
quantitiesandtypesofwasteproduced.Itisacause
forconcernthatpresentinconsistencies inthisareaare
suchthatMemberStatesreporthazardouswasteas
accountingforbetween2%and20%oftheirtotal
waste(seetheCommission'sExplanatoryMemor­
andum).Suchawidespanmakesanyattemptatplan­
ningverydifficult.Moreover,itiswidelyheldthat
hazardouswastegenerallyaccountsforasignificant
percentageofindustrialwaste.
1.10.1.Article1(4)ofDirective91/689/EEC(6)on
hazardouswastestatesthatalistofsuchwasteistobe
drawnup,takingaccountoftheoriginandcomposition
ofthewasteandthelimitvaluesforitsconcentration .
TheCommitteeurgestheCommissiontodrawupthe
listassoonaspossible.
1.10.2.Onthebasisofthislist,criteriashouldbe
establishedfortheoptimumdisposalofthevarious
typesofwaste.Incinerationwouldbeonepossible
option,wherecompatiblewithprotectionofthe
environment .1.6.TheCommittee isconcernedaboutthescant
attentionwhichCommunitypolicycontinuestodevote
topracticalback-up(technical,information ,financial)
forreducinghazardouswasteatsource(cleanertech­
nologies).Thereisadangerthatattentionwillfocus
ontechnologiesforthefinaldisposalofwaste,whenin
facttheemphasisshouldbeontechnologiestoprevent
wasteduringtheproductionprocess,encouragingpro­
ducerinitiatives,andprovidingbetterinformationand
trainingforstaff.
1.7.ThisistheapproachadoptedbythenewCom­
munityprogrammeontheenvironmentandsustainable
development (3),whichwillprovideareferenceframe­
workforindividualenvironmentprotectionmeasures.1.11.Technological developments atinternational
levelaregivingrisetospecializedtreatmentprocesses
gearedtotheparticularcharacteristics ofhazardous
waste.
1.11.1.Hazardouswastesaremadeupofahuge
numberofcompounds,ofteninextraordinarily com­
plexcombinations .Underdifferenttreatmentcon­
ditions,thesecangeneratereactionsthataredifficult
topredict.Thecombinationofcertainwasteproducts
canbeexpectedtogenerateunwantedreactions,just
asothercombinations mayhavebeneficialeffectssuch
asneutralization .
1.11.2.Awastemanagementpolicyshouldtherefore
seethatactionistakenatcompanylevel,covering
selectivecollectionofthemainwasteflows,differen­1.8.TheCommitteeisawarethatthegeneral
requirementsofwastemanagementplanning—par­
ticularlyinthecaseofhazardouswaste—cannotbe
metbythepresentDirectivealone.However,itstresses
thattheDirectivemustbeimplementedinclosecon­
junctionwithArticle6ofDirective91/689/EEC,which
obligesthecompetentauthoritiestodrawupwaste
managementplansandtomaketheseplanspublic.The
ArticlealsorequirestheCommissiontocomparethe
(i)OJNoC122,18.5.1990,p.2. (4)OJNoC76,27.3.1992.
(2)OJNoC56,6.3.1989;OJNoC318,12.12.1988;OJNo
C112,7.5.1990andOJNoC40,17.2.1992.(5)OJNoC251,4.10.1989andOJNoC192,23.7.1991;ESC
OpinioninOJNoC112,7.5.1990.
(6)OJNoL377,31.12.1991. (3)COM(92)23final.

16.12.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC332/51
tiatedstorage,anddeliveryattreatmentplantsinprop­
erlylabelledspecialcontainers .Appropriateformsof
pretreatmentshouldbeusedsoastoreducethevolume
ofwaste(andthustransportcosts)andifpossible
partiallydetoxifyit(thusreducingboththehazard­
ousnessandthecostoffinaltreatment).1.16.Thisshouldalsobeofassistancewhendeciding
thebestlocationsforincinerationplants,intermsboth
oftheirdistancefromproduction,collectionandsorting
centres(minimizingthemovementsofdangerouswaste)
andoftheirimpactontheenvironment .
1.17.Lastly,theCommitteeaskstheCommissionto
checkwhethertheprovisionscontainedinDirectives
80/1107/EECand89/391/EEC(»)areadequate,inthe
lightofadvancesinknow-howandtechnology,to
protectthehealthandsafetyofworkersatincineration
plants.TheCommissioncouldconsiderthecasefora
specificDirectivetoprotectworkersatwaste-treatment
plants.1.12.TheCommitteenotesthattheproposalallows
thermaldisposalofhazardouswasteatnon-specialist
plantsprovidedthattheyrespecttherelevantenviron­
mentalprotectioncriteria.Someofthesecriteriawill
notapplytosmallplantsinwhichhazardouswaste
accountsforbetween10and40%ofthetotalheat
releasedattheplant.
2.Specificcomments
1.12.1.Thermaldisposalofhazardouswasteatnon­
specialistplantsisameasurewhichmayhelptocurb
thepresentuncontrolleddispersionofhugequantities
ofhazardouswaste.2.1.Article1(1)
2.1.1.Inthefifthline,afterthewords'hazardous
waste',add'thatcannotbeavoidedandcannotbe
recycled'.1.12.2.Althoughconcernaboutdangerousmixtures
ofwastemaybeallayedbyArticle2ofDirective91/
689/EEC,itwouldseemadvisableatleasttomention
theindustrialprocessescontainingfacilitieswhichmay
beusedforwastedisposal(e.g.rotarykilnsincement
worksorfurnacesinstee!workswhichoffertechnical
guaranteesandthepossibilityofenergyrecovery).This
wouldhelptodefinethescopeofthisoptionmore
clearly,bearinginmindthepresentlackofmonitoring
andtheintrinsicdifficultyofmonitoringcompliance
withthelimitsspecifiedinAnnexII.2.2.Article3(3)
2.2.1.Thepermitshouldalsomentionthequantity
ofeachtypeofwasteauthorizedfortreatment(Article7
ofDirective91/156),inthelightofthetechnicalfeatures
andtotalcapacityoftheincinerator,withduerespect
fortheprovisionsofArticle6ofDirective91/689/EEC
concerningplansforthedisposalofhazardouswaste.
1.13.TheCommitteeispleasedthattheconceptof
BATNEEC (BestAvailableTechnologyNotEntailing
ExcessiveCosts)isdeemedinappropriatefortheincin­
erationofhazardouswaste,andistobereplacedby
BAT(BestAvailableTechnology).Thismeanstechnol­
ogieswhichareindustriallyfeasibleintechnicaland
economictermsandreasonablyaccessibletotheoper­
ator.2.3.Article3(5)
2.3.1.Allowingthepermittoremainoperativefor
sixmonthsafteremissionshaveprovedunsatisfactory
couldmeanthatthousandsoftonnesofhazardous
wastearedisposedofinanenvironmentally unaccept­
ablemanner.Itmightbebettertohaveathree-month
periodwhichcouldbeincreasedtosixmonthswhen
authorizedbythecompetentauthoritiesinthelightof
specifictechnicalrequirements .
1.14.Theconceptisinkeepingwiththeintegrated
approachtopollutionpreventionpursuedbytheabov­
ementionedprogrammeontheenvironmentandsus­
tainabledevelopment .2.4.Article5(3)
2.4.1.Thephrase'whereappropriateandasfaras
possible'couldbeinterpretedinthebroadsense,and
notasreferringsolelytocaseswhereitisimpossibleto
takesamples'beforeunloading'.Samplesshouldalways
berequiredunlessspecificallyprohibitedonsafety
grounds,asinthecaseofclinicalwaste.Thesample
shouldbekeptfor30days,giventhecomplexityof
someofthemethodsofanalysistobeusedinchecks
bythecompetentauthorities .1.15.TheCommitteestressestheimportanceoffully
applyingthepublicinformationmeasureslaiddownin
theDirectivesonenvironmental impactassessment (85/
337/EEC)andmajor-accident hazards(88/610/EEC).
Fullinformationistheonlywaytomeetpublicconcern
abouttheincinerationofhazardouswasteandmake
thisoptionacceptablewhenitoffersthemostappropri­
atesolution. HOJNoL327,3.12.1980andOJNoL183,29.6.1989.

NoC332/52 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 16.12.92
2.5.Article6
2.5.1.TheCommitteestressestheneedtorespect
theindicationsprovidedinAnnexII,asstorageisa
criticalstageinthewastecycle.
2.6.Article7(2)
2.6.1.'Useofappropriatetechniquesofwastepre­
treatment'shouldnotbepresentedasapossibility('this
mayrequire...').Itshouldbepositivelyencouragedas
partofwastemanagementpolicy,withparticular
regardto(a)pretreatmenttodetoxifyhazardouswaste
and(b)pretreatmentproceduresdesignedtooptimize
thecombustionprocess.makethetaskofthemonitoringauthorityandthe
operatorsratherdifficult.
2.10.Article9(3)
2.10.1.TheCommitteeendorsesthecontentof
Article9(3),butasksforanexplicitreferencelinkingit
toArticle14.
2.11.Article10(1)and(2)
2.11.1.Itwouldbehelpfulifamanualweredrawn
upcoveringmaintenanceoffiltersandfume-reduction
devicesinthebroadsense.
2.7.Article7(3)
2.7.1.Whileappreciatingthereferencetouseof
auxiliaryburners,theCommitteepointsoutthatthis
meansprovidingasuitableafter-burnersectionfor
secondarycombustionofthegaseffluentsfromcom­
bustionintheprimarychamber.2.12.Article13(1)
2.12.1.Thephrase'assoonaspossible'isvague.
TheCommitteesuggests'withoutdelay'.
2.13.Article14(2)
2.8.Article7(8)
2.8.1.Theheightofthestackcouldusefullybespeci­
fied(atleast40metres),inaccordancewithmeteoro­
logicalconditionsatthesite.2.13.1.Themaximumperiodoffiveyearsistoo
long.
2.14.Article17
2.14.1.Thenewcommitteeshouldsupplementthe
informationontechnicalprogress(tobeprovidedunder
Article15)witheffectiveguidelineswhichshouldbe
updatedannually.2.9.Article8
2.9.1.TheCommitteepointsoutthatthecomplexity
ofthecalculationsproposedbytheCommissionwill
DoneatBrussels,22October1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN