SOLID WASTE AND LEACHATE
Waste at landfills
Criteria and procedures for the acceptability of waste at landfills are stated in EU Council
Decision 2003/33/EC.
The procedures includes basic characterization and compliance testing.
Waste to be deposited at landfills is divided into three categories: inert waste, non-
hazardous waste and hazardous waste. Specific limit values apply to these categories
with respect to e.g. metals, anions, phenol index, DOC and TDS in the leachate as well as
the total content of organic parameters.
ALS Life Sciences carry out waste acceptance criteria (WAC) testing by simulating
leaching of contaminants from the waste by rainwater according to EN 12 457 and CEN/
TS 14 405. To perform these leaching simulations, our laboratories employ:
• single step leach, a one part leach with a liquid to solid ratio L/S=10, the most
common procedure for leaching of waste.
• double stage leach, a two parts leach, where the first leach is performed at
L/S=2 and then at L/S=8. It better mimics the natural conditions of leaching by
rainwater for material with high solid content.
• column leach test, an upflow percolation test, which provides information on
the leaching behavior at low L/S ratios prevailing in disposal scenario.
Waste acceptance criteria (WAC) - inert waste (leaching)
Limit value (mg/l)
Parameter
Single step
(L/S=10) Two stage*
(L/S=2, L/S=8) Percolation test
(usually L/S=0.1)
0.05 0.05 0.06
As
ALS LOQ
(mg/l)
0.05
Ba 2 3.5 4 0.003
Cd 0.004 0.015 0.02 0.0005
Cr total 0.05 0,1 0.1 0.001
Cu 0.2 0.45 0,6 0.01
Hg 0.001 0.0015 0.002 0.001
Mo 0.05 0.15 0.2 0.001
Ni 0.04 0.1 0.12 0.002
Pb 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.001
Sb 0.006 0.01 0.1 0.001
Se 0.01 0.03 0.04 0.005
Zn 0.4 1 1.2 0.001
chloride 80 275 460 1
fluoride 1 2 2.5 0.2
sulphate 100 280 1500 5
phenol index 0.1 0,25 0.3 0.005
DOC 50 120 160 0.5
TDS 400 1250 - 10
* Value mentioned for L/S=2 L/kg.
Minimum sample amount:
0.5 kg dry waste
ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE
FOR A QUOTE SPECIFICALLY
FOR YOUR NEEDS.
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