Study to support the review of waste related issues in annexes IV and V of regulation (EC) 850/2004 : final report

To reduce POP emissions into the environment Annexes IV and V of Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) establish the obligation to generally destroy or irreversibly transform the POP content of waste above a certain threshold limit ('LPCL'). In exceptional cases waste containing POPs above the limits may be otherwise managed with specified operations for specified waste types if destruction or irreversible transformation do not represent the environmentally preferable option and the concentration of the POPs is below a maximum threshold value ('MPCL'). In this study information from competent authorities, scientific institutions, literature and other experts was collected, analysed and summarised. Further, mass flows for newly listed and candidate POPs were established and, finally, recommendations for the environmentally sound management of waste containing POPs were elaborated. Suggestions for limit values (LPCL and MPCL) were derived using the methodology developed by BiPRO GmbH in 2005, which assesses the economic, environmental, health, waste management, legal and recycling implications. Additionally, the identification of action needed to fully implement the listing of the new POPs and the potential listing of the candidate POPs in the annexes to Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 and other relevant EU legislation was identified and an overview demonstrating the need for action within relevant legislation was illustrated.