The Department of the Environment has made a Statutory Rule entitled the Landfill Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (S.R. 2003 No. 496).

The Rule comes into operation on 6th January 2004.

The Rule is made under the provisions of Article 4 of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002. It sets out a pollution control regime for landfills for the purpose of implementing Council Directive 99/31/EC on the landfill of waste (The Landfill Directive) in Northern Ireland. It establishes a system of landfill permits together with requirements for the conditions to be included in the permits. Schedules attached to the Rule set out general technical requirements for the monitoring of landfills and the acceptance of waste. It establishes the Chief Inspector as the person appointed by the Department for the purpose of carrying these Regulations into effect. In effecting these changes, the Rule will amend the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (S.R. 2003 No. 46) and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (S.R. 2003 No. 493).

Copies of the Rule may be purchased from the Stationery Office Bookshop, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD. ISBN 0 337 95302 3, £4.00.