Hazardous Waste Legislation - Case Study Example

Hazardous Waste Legislation The Welsh Assembly Government’s website proved to be comprehensive source for writing the report on environmental awareness. The government website has a number of links that provide in depth knowledge and information on all issues, as they open into subject specific websites. Roles and responsibilities of the government in creating consciousness on environmental issues have bee elaborately mentioned in the extended sources. Legislation related matter was given a thorough reading to select the relevant resolutions adopted by the WAG other than comprehending the engineering aspect of the environmental issues. Environmental issues have attracted attention worldwide as they have created risks to healthy life and put the future of our planet in danger due to alarming increase in the emissions of greenhouse gases. The Welsh Assembly Government likewise its neighbor states has left no stone unturned in taking the citizens all along in the fight against pollution caused by over-exploitation of resources, which is affecting life below, above and on the ground by the contamination of land, air and water resources. To create consciousness among its people, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has used its online resource to the fullest by providing knowledge and information on all issues of critical importance so that citizens may use this resource and mend their ways to save the planet from the hazards of greenhouse gases’ emissions. Some important fields of environmental awareness have been thoroughly reviewed, which are Contaminated Land, Air Quality, Climate Change, Energy and Fuels, Waste and Recycling, and Environment Liability. Contaminated land Land contamination is one of the major causes of pollution. The government website provides comprehensive knowledge and information on this issue; how it is fulfilling its responsibility in creating awareness among the people to save the planet from becoming a garbage house of hazardous chemicals. Industrialisation and businesses have created havoc on land due to irresponsible business practices. Pollutant fuels have added to the gruesome situation. Life has become hazardous due to the risks of pollution due to over-use and misuse of fuels and chemicals. The Wales Assembly has yet to pass relevant regulations The government website provides basic guidelines with intensive knowledge and is a comprehensive information resource. It defines what contamination of land means and puts responsibility for removing the pollutants. The WAG website informs what assessment and remedial steps are being taken to stop contamination of land and also guide to stop further contamination of land. Extent of damage to the environment and lack of strict legislation on its part is given briefing. Radioactive materials contaminate land and water underground. This causes havoc to the health of people, animals, ecological system, living organisms, and the environment. A list of reasons like the excessive presence of metals, minerals, chemicals, oils and fuels are responsible for this contamination. Local Council has taken the responsibility of creating awakening by informing the regulating agency, the land owner and the person who is responsible for cleaning it. The Local Council can name an area as ‘special site’ where pollution level is high due to over-exploitation of land resource by industry and radioactivity has made water resources poisonous, making then unfit for general use and drinking whether above the land or below the land. The environment regulator has control over such ‘special sites’. Land owners have to clean the land whether they are residing there or not. In the whole of the country, time limits are given to clean the contamination of land to the occupants responsible for it. The regulator assigns relevant environment and pollution control permits and licensees to remove the waste. After cleaning the land by the responsible person, it is declared fit for future activity. If no responsibility is decided, then the job of remediation is performed through the regulator (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63412.aspx). Wales has legislation on contaminated land -- the Contaminated Land Regulations 2006 SI 2989. It has provisions for searching such land to perform its remediation. A link on ‘Contaminated Land Legislation’ takes you to a list of legislations on radioactive contaminated land, new environment control regulations and amendments including technical amendments in effect (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63420.aspx). Contaminated land and its remediation are engineering processes of environment science. It is related to the engineering processes namely physical treatment, bio-remediation, chemical treatment, solidification and thermal treatment related to the science of chemistry and biology (http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/2382476.html). The contamination remedial activities include fields of analytical laboratory, ecological studies, and engineering studies like treatability research, technology requirements, process reviews, and plant checking besides geological study, soil gas surveys, risk mapping, field analysis, health and safety activities, and other technical support services. Air Quality The WAG website provides comprehensive knowledge on the air quality and causes of air pollution. Poisonous and harmful gases coming out of the chimneys of factories are more responsible for air pollution than domestic. Big furnaces and heating plants in the industry endlessly emit resultant black smoke and other gases that downgrade the air quality. The Local Council has the responsibility of checking air pollution, its causes and impose fines on the guilty. Public in general can move the court also on its own to stop air polluting activities in the general interest. The government website provides sufficient information on its air quality strategy to evolve remedial means, follow standards and set objectives of preserving the air quality. It requires a strategy structure to clean the air of small particles and formulate policy to fulfill the strategic objectives. The website provides a list of pollutants that include nitrogen dioxide, sulphur, benzene, and fine dust among others from the industry, transport, homes, and biological particles. Regulation exists in Wales to pronounce a place as Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) if air quality is below the standard mark. Businesses in such an area can face a number of hurdles. Website is quite interactive in the sense that when you click on the given links, you are navigated to another Wales website dedicated to air quality. A summary of pollution due to air quality is given to comprehend through an index. You can view the current status of air quality, brief history of last 24 hours and the data review with the bulletin on air pollution. Forecast for the coming 24 hours for North Wales and South Wales is made by the website (http://www.welshairquality.co.uk/index.php?lg=). The WAG website offers its visitors detail of all legislation including harmful pollutants names, regulatory institutions and knowledge of financial help sources to invest in less polluting equipment. There exists the Clean Air Act of 1993 which puts limit on the black smoke from industrial chimneys and furnaces. There are set parameters of chimney heights besides establishing smoke control zones. Guidance on the Act is given on the web pages to follow the Clean Air Act 1993 guidelines. The local council sees to it that factories and businesses adhere to EU standards on substances like sulphur and particles to control the emission of harmful gases. It can also prohibit the use of certain polluting fuels. Climate Change Climate change is affecting the whole planet. It is the most serious risk to the environment on earth. If affects are not limited to a specific area; they are far expanded. Exploitation of natural resources to the limit has been the reason behind sudden climatic changes like snow-storm, het waves, hotter summers, mild winters and floods caused by melting glaciers on the mountain tops. Glaciers are melting because of increase in temperature, which is due to emissions of greenhouse gases. Businesses, according to the WAG website, should use fossil fuels to decrease the impact of greenhouse gases. The government has taken a number of measures to limit the damage to climate like it has levied on businesses and industries found not adhering to guidelines. Other steps include agreement with other stakeholders, increase in capital allowances, beginning of emissions trading schemes, participating in renewable transport fuel agreement and showing commitment on carbon reduction. As stated above, crucial links are provided to navigate and collect information on bio-fuels for commuting, carbon minimising concerns via the NetRegs feedback on bio-fuels. The website informs on all angles of climate change, the effect of greenhouses emissions due to carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, perfluorocarbons, and hydrofluorocarbons. A number of human activities has worsened the situation further. Such activities include burning of fossil fuels for human needs, throwing of waste in landfill sites, land exploitation for wrong ends, and overuse of fertilisers. Other harmful gases of commercial use are F-gases like refrigerants, solvents, and fire-fighting liquids, which are thinning the ozone layer (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/62963.aspx). The government of Welsh Assembly provides links on significant areas of climate change like how to calculate carbon footprint of your business, methods of minimising the impact on climate, acclimatising to climate change, offsetting carbon footprint on your business, climate change levy (CCL), trading of emissions and updating on legislative changes (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/62959.aspx). As you click on the CCL link, you know what CCL is; it is a tax levied on using non-renewable energy like electricity from national grid, coal, and liquefied petroleum gas. This tax is added in energy bills, which can be saved via discounting in National Insurance Contributions (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/62973.aspx). Geo-engineering is the science related to climate change. It can provide the answer to greenhouse gases. We cannot fully stop emission of greenhouse gases but take smart hints from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo volcano in 1991. In Mt. Pinatubo, volcano particles kept on flying over the sky for two years screening the sun rays and cooling the earth. Geo-engineers suggest a simulated volcanic eruption for cooling the earth (http://marketplace.publicradio.or/display/web/2008/01/30/planb/_pm3_geoengineering/). Climate change is a matter of physical science. Scientists believe that human activities have caused heat resulting in high temperature. Climatologists have studied “eureka” moments. They keep a record of changes in temperature, satellite sounding, and conduct climate-model experiments. Scientists have substantiated the data and results of climate change through regular observation. They have also found other causes of climate change to prove their concepts of climate changes. There remains no doubt that human exploitation of natural resources has done intensive damage to the environment. Still we can control the further devastation and destruction by limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases and relying more and more on renewable sources of energy and using clean fuels (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=science-behind-climate-change). Energy and fuel Only clean energy and clean fuel can help in resuscitating the planet, as the scientists the world over are suggesting. The WAG website also stresses the need of renewable energy. It can make the living prospects bright in future. The government has sought the suggestions from the public on renewable energy. It will certainly help in restructuring the energy strategy in a stipulated time. As per the government plan, it is interested in pursuing renewable energy sources like wind, wave and tidal energy to produce electricity from these natural resources. It will be clean energy. The Welsh Assembly Government is in the process of starting work on a huge project by tapping tidal power from the Severn Tidal plant. It is one of the largest tidal ranges measuring 14 meters and offers an opportunity to generate electricity, i.e. renewable energy. Projects like tidal energy will minimise the impact of greenhouse gases. The website is quite informative and interactive; it is comforting to read that tidal energy produced from the Severn tidal project will constitute 5% of the UK energy needs. One can guess the huge potential it has for a brighter tomorrow besides adding to the resources of renewable energy. The website provides a functional outline of planning this project. A study will be made involving ministries and departments under the leadership of Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). One gets impressed by the efforts made by the government in tapping this renewable energy resource. It involves completion in many phases, as the project requires it mandatory to complete the first phase before starting the next phase of it. The DECC needs to finalise the choice of barrages and lagoons and tidal technology. Being a huge project, it has social, economic and environmental impacts, which require close examination. So it becomes necessary to take the public in confidence on the impacts thereon before stipulating a deadline for the completion of the project (http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/energy/severntidal/?lang=en). The tapping of tidal energy requires engineering processes, as volume and flow rates of the coastal tides are measured before making a decision; the density of tidal waves in comparison to air are 832 times. Selection of right technology is crucial, as there is basic difference in first generation technology and second generation technology. Engineers prefer the second-generation technology to be suitable as it doesn’t gather silt although first-generation technology is better for marine environment. The latest technology makes it possible for engineers to work under water through Horizontal-axis turbine models, which have been tested OK (http://bluenergy.com/Uploads/TidalEnergy/TidalEnergyPrimer.pdf). Waste and recycling Waste can be reduced by reusing and recycling. The website provides extensive information on how to reuse and recycle, its benefits, material fit to be recycled, and other related information. To make recycling popular, it provides knowledge on the financial and environmental benefits of recycling waste (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63067.aspx). The website provides information regarding the financial and environmental benefits of recycling waste. It will saves tax of £40 a tonne at the rate of £8 a year until April 2013. Overall, it will be 4-5% of the turnover by paying less on landfill. There is very les energy used in recycling, just 5% of the new product requirement. Different methods of reusing waste are described suggesting preference for reusing because it is onomical than recycling. It provides knowledge on reducing ad reusing waste, specifying recycling the lest preferred to earlier options. Through the link on “Waste Online”, way to recycle hazardous material like batteries is described. Te role of local council is important in this regard, as it collects via a commercial contractor. Comprehensive knowledge on minimum use of battery and minimising battery waste are suggested. Directives provide information on legislation in near future. EU directive are applicable for electrical and electronic waste. Ozone layer removing items need extra handling care in recycling. Links provide knowledge on waste recycling processes and attached responsibilities due to the fluorinated gases. There exists an authorised treatment facility (ATF) for recycling of vehicles. ATFs require licence or environment permission and after recycling, getting a certificate of destruction is needed to prove deregistration of the vehicle. Packaging instructions are also given for using lead and mercury, which should be reused, recycled or kept secure (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63073.aspx). Waste recycling is related to chemical engineering. Chemical manufacturers have the permission of EPA to sell or reuse the hazardous parts under the new regulation (http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i41/8641notw9.html). Environment Liability Making the environment clean is the liability of all. In this regard, the Wales Environment Strategy is concurrent since March 2006. Environment liability is divided among different branches of the local body like local environment issues are the liability of local agencies, regulations are made by the Environment Agency, and the funding, policy and legislation on environment issues are dealt by WAG. All the issues discussed above are environment issues whether it is contamination of land, climate change, waste & recycling, air quality, energy and fuels; they affect the environment. The issue of climate change is the most alarming issue. Sudden changes in climate result in floods and scarcity of water. The Welsh Assembly Government is determined to minimise the emissions of greenhouse gases. Waste recycling is another concern of the environment. Waste recycling rates are over 25% but the government prefers not to bury waste and reduce its quantity. Regarding air quality and water purity, it is following the EU standards, and is taking action through regulations and continuous monitoring. Local environment quality issues like fly-tipping and littering have alerted all agencies including the Environment Agency. The Welsh Assembly Government deals such issues through its regulatory and enforcement mechanism. Chemicals and radioactive material have drawn the government attention with the new Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations. It will improve the situation, as the government is working with Health and Safety Executives and other regulating agencies to realise its goals. Regulation on radioactive waste is also being reviewed on emissions’ limits under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/epq/?lang=en). Hazardous waste is clinical waste, garage waste and office waste, next in the line for which the government offers separate guidelines according to location. Website provides a list of hazardous waste for storing and disposing off safely. Knowledge on how to produce less hazardous waste so that to reduce its disposal cost, is provided by the WAG website. Legislation includes following EC regulations and fulfilling the UN criteria for classifying, labeling and packaging of hazardous items (http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63466.aspx). All environment issues are related to engineering processes of specific scientific fields like geo-engineering, climate geo-engineering, climate engineering and other related branches of engineering and science. Conclusion: All environment issues are equally important. Environmental Awareness is essential to the well being of all. Climate change is the most alarming issue of all. If we want to save life on earth, it is high time to put collective efforts so that improvement gets visible. All environmental risks are equally important and demand attention. Technology can play a crucial role in minimising the affects of pollution and greenhouse gases. Propagation and publicity in raising awareness on environmental concerns can be effective deterrent to further loss of healthy environment. Scientific and engineering research can be of great help to save the environment and compensate the loss. Legislation and regulatory governance needs to be updated regularly and strictly followed. References: Basic science confers huge advantages on tidal energy. Available from: http://bluenergy.com/Uploads/TidalEnergy/TidalEnergyPrimer.pdf [Accessed 15 November 2009]. Climate change. Available from: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/62959.aspx [Accessed 15 November 2009]. What is climate change? Available from: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/62963.aspx [Accessed 15 November 2009]. Climate change levy (CCL) Available from: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/62973.aspx [Accessed 15 November 2009]. Contaminated land. Available from: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63412.aspx [Accessed 15 November 2009]. Contaminated land legislation. Available from: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63420.aspx [Accessed 15 November 2009] Hazardous waste legislation (England, Northern Ireland and Wales) England and Wales. Available from: http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/63466.aspx [Accessed 15 November 2009] Karl, Thomas. Global Climate Change Impacts: A motivation for Geo-Engineering? U.S. National Climatic Data Center. [Accessed 15 November 2009] Recycling Waste. Available from: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i41/8641notw9.html [Accessed 15 November 2009] Science. (2008).The Physical Science behind Climate Change. Available from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=science-behind-climate-change [Accessed 15 November 2009] Science. Available from: http://www.marketresearch.com/map/prod/2382476.html [Accessed 15 November 2009] Welsh Assembly Government. (2009) Available from: http://wales.gov.uk/?lang=en. [Accessed 15 November 2009] Read More