The 40 hectare Port Clarence Landfill Site is a nationally important facility which provides a strategically placed resource for local and
regional industry to dispose of hazardous waste and non-hazardous wastes into two adjacent landfills. The operational hazardous waste and non-hazardous waste landfills are independently engineered and controlled, and each is the subject of a separate Environmental Permit which is regulated by the Environment Agency. Each landfill site accepts only the waste types which are specified in its Environmental Permit.
The landfill sites currently accept waste such as contaminated soils, stabilised wastes and residues from waste treatment and recovery operations. There are separate cells for asbestos wastes. Certain Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) wastes have already been accepted for disposal at the site which are exempt from the need for an Environmental Permit for the disposal of radioactive wastes because of their extremely low level of radioactivity.
There are strict acceptance criteria which define what can and cannot be disposed to landfill. Detailed procedures are in place before the wastes are accepted for dispatch to the site and further procedures are in place for when the wastes are delivered to the site to check that only suitable wastes are delivered and accepted. No liquids, explosive, flammable, oxidising, corrosive or infectious wastes are accepted at landfill sites.
Port Clarence plays an important role in accepting residues from other types of waste management facilities in the local area.
The landfill site is located directly adjacent to the Waste Recovery Park, so it is able to accept the residues from waste treatment without the need for further transportation. The two operations are therefore integral, and each underpins the economics and the sustainability of the other. If permission is granted Port Clarence will be the first location in the UK where there are integrated, adjacent treatment and disposal facilities for Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW).
LLW will only be accepted for disposal at the hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste landfill site if it is the best environmental option after having considered whether the waste can be reused, recycled or recovered.