The Department of the Environment has made a Statutory Rule entitled the Landfill (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 (S.R. 2004 No. 297).

The Rule comes into operation, for the purposes of Regulations 7,8 and 9 on 16th July 2004, and for all other purposes on 16th July 2005.

The Rule is made under the provisions of Article 4 of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002. It amends the regulatory regime governing landfills in Northern Ireland for the purpose of implementing Council Decision 2003/33/EC establishing criteria for the acceptance of waste at landfills pursuant to Article 16 of and Annex II to Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste (The Landfill Directive) in Northern Ireland. In effecting these changes, the Rule will amend the Landfill Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (S.R 2003No. 496) and substitute a new Schedule 1 containing procedures and detailed criteria, consisting in the main of limit values for total content and leachability of relevant parameters, for the acceptance of waste. The Rule will also 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, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD.