B- TRIAnnual report on the application of Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 (Articles 12(1) and 12(3)).
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Member State: Ireland
2. Name and title of contact officer: Mr.Gary McGuinn, Assistant Principal Officer
3. Full name of the institution: Department of Environment,Community and LocalGovernment
4. Mailing address:Air Quality & Environmental Radiation Policy,
Newtown Road,
Wexford,
Co. Wexford,
Ireland.
5. Telephone number: 00353 (0)53 9117353
6. Fax number:00353 (0)53 9997603
7. E-mail address:
8. Date of the report (dd/month/yyyy): December 2013
SECTION II: STOCKPILES
1. Are there in your Member State any notified stockpiles of any substance listed in Annex I or II and the use of which is permitted?(Yes/No)
Yes.
1.1. If the answer to question 1 is "Yes", please, specify the name of the substance(s). For each specified substance, specify for each stock the year in which it was identified, its nature, its content (% or mg/kg), its volume (kg), its location and the measures taken to manage it.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland maintains the inventory of PCB holdings for Ireland as part of the implementation of the PCB Directive[1]. The inventory is updated regularly. A summary of the total confirmed and suspected holdings within the State is presented in Table 1.In accordance with Article 13(2) of the Waste Management (Hazardous Waste) Regulations 1998 (Statutory Instrument 163 of 1998), in the absence of contrary information (such as analytical data or a confirmed manufacture date for the equipment), electrical equipment suspected of containing PCBs is assumed to contain PCBs unless otherwise proven. Therefore such holdings have been included in the inventory.
Table 1 – Summary of PCB holdings from 2010 to 2012Note 1
Total litres of suspect or confirmed PCB liquid or PCB-contaminated liquidYear / 2010 / 2011 / 2012
Nature / liquid / liquid / liquid
Content mg/kg / >50 / 50-500 / 50-500
Quantity (litres) / 255,639 / 107,355Note 2 / 57,532Note 2
% Increase/decrease compared to previous stated year / 31% / -58% / -46%
Note 1: Quantities fluctuate as suspected or confirmed PCB contaminated equipment is discovered or taken off the inventory (if destroyed or determined to be PCB free).
Note 2: These figures exclude non permitted PCBs which have been recorded in section 2.1 below
From 2010, there has been a significant decrease in the national PCB inventory (which increased significantly in the period 2007-2010 due to increased awareness raising, target surveys and identification ofadditional potential sources), which is largely attributed to the 31st December 2010 deadline for disposal or decontamination of certain PCB contaminated equipment. The decrease can also be accredited to the enforcement work the EPA has carried out with all suspect holdings requesting them to confirm their plans for the removal of all suspect equipment or the provision of analytical and/or manufacturers information to confirm equipment PCB contamination status. Work to continue the downward trend in PCB holdings with the ultimate objective of elimination continues to be a priority.
Over the three year period (2010-2012) the following were undertaken in order to update the PCB inventory: -
Year 2010
- 22 PCB training sessions were provided to local authorities;
- 91 inspections of local authority installations;
- 78 inspections of facilities (either privately owned or state owned).
Year 2011
- 11 PCB training sessions were provided to local authorities;
- 50 inspections of local authority installations;
- 67 inspections of facilities (either privately owned or state owned).
Year 2012
- 16 inspections of facilities (either privately owned or state owned);
- 38 individual questionnaires were sent to targeted facilities;
- Provision of a PCB training session to one local authority;
- Provision of a PCB information session to the EPA’s local authority water treatment inspectors within the EPA’sOffice of Environmental Enforcement;
- Provision of a PCB information desk and delivery of a PCB presentation at a national conference attended by environmental enforcement officers from all local authorities nationwide highlighting the importance of including PCB inspections in their RMCEI Plans;
- The EPA developed an online reporting system to assist holders of PCBs, used PCBs, or PCB contaminated equipment in completing their online notification to the EPA. Two guidance documents were provided to the public to assist in registering for the system and uploading information. Both of which were made available on the dedicated PCB webpage;
- Priority contact with high energy sectors (e.g.: energy and fuel sector, airport authorities).
2. Are there in your Member State any notified stockpiles of any substance listed in Annex I or II and the use of which is not permitted?(Yes/No)
Yes.
2.1 If the answer to question 2 is "Yes", please, specify the name of the substance(s). For each specified substance, specify for each stock the year in which it was identified, its nature, its content (% or mg/kg), its volume (kg), its location and the measures taken to manage it.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Equipment contaminated by materials with PCB concentrations greater than 500 mgkg-1 and containing an aggregate volume of more than 5 litres of such material were to be decontaminated or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner by their holders prior to 31st December 2010. Table 2 presents a summary of PCB holdings on the national PCB inventory in 2011 and 2012 that were no longer permitted.
In terms of measures to manage these stockpiles, a significant quantity of the holdings werebeing sent for disposal but are not removed from the national inventory until certificates of disposal are received by the EPA. Some of the holdings were also located at non-operational IPPC licenced sites and were being managed in accordance with the IPPC licencing regime. The EPA and local authorities are pursuing the remaining holdings concerning the plans for disposal/decontamination of PCB holdings no longer permitted2.The quantities of PCB-contaminated materials on the inventory are subject to change as suspected or confirmed PCB contaminated equipment is discovered or taken off the inventory (if destroyed or determined to be PCB free).
Table 2 – Summary of PCB holdings no longer permitted
Year / 2011 / 2012Nature / liquid / liquid
Content mg/kg / >500 / >500
Quantity (litres) / 9,219 / 11,500[2]
% Increase/decrease compared to previous stated year / n/a / +24.7%
SECTION III: RELEASE REDUCTION, MINIMISATION AND ELIMINATION
1. Has your Member State developed an action plan on the substances listed in Annex III to Regulation (EC) N° 850/2004 (hereinafter "Annex III")?(Yes/No)
Yes.
1.1.If the answer to question 1 is "No", please specify why.
1.2. If the answer to question 1 is "Yes", please, specify the name of the substance(s) for which you have release data. For each specified substance, specify for which compartment (i.e., air, water, land) you have release data. For each specified compartment, give the release in g TEQ/year (WHO-TEF[3] 2005) or in kg/year.
Ireland transmitted its National Implementation Plan on POPs to the Stockholm Convention Secretariat in 2012 in accordance with its obligations under Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention.
Table 3 below presents a summary of estimated releases of unintentional POPsemissionsto air, land and water in 2010as presented in the National Implementation Plan. As indicated in the National Implementation Plan there is uncertainty with some of the data for certain sources and in particular where releases relate to land and water. The Action Plan includes actions to improve the inventories of unintentional POPs releases to air, land and water.
Table 3 – Estimated releases of unintentional POPs in 2010
POP substance / AIR / LAND / WATERDioxins & Furans / 16.10 g ITEQ / 29.2 g ITEQ / 0.52 g ITEQ
PCBs / 17.44 kg / 124.74 kg / No data
Hexachlorobenzene / <1.16 kg / <0.47 kg / <0.016 kg
The EPA report air emission inventories under the Convention for Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution including unintentional POPs listed under the POPs Protocol (Dioxins/Furans, PCBs, HCB, PAHs) every year. The following table presents the levels of releases of unintentional POPs in 2011 as presented in the report[4]:
Table 4 – Air emission levels of unintentional POPs in 2011
Substance / Dioxins & Furans (g I-TEQ) / PCBs (kg) / PAH* (Mg)[5] / HCB (kg)5Year 2011 / 14.977 / 16.49 / 2.49 / 1.167
* This is the sum of benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene)
Note: Estimated releases of PAHs in 2010 as reported under CLRTAP is 2.741 Mg
The 2012 air emission inventory will be reported in early 2014.There is currently limited data available for releases of Pentachlorobenzene to all media however Pentachlorobenzeneinventories will be developed as part of the National Implementation Plan’s Action Plan.
The EPA will shortly publish a report on an inventory of emissions of priority substances, including POPs, to waters under the Water Framework Directive.
2. Has your Member State developed measures in order to identify sources of substances listed in Annex III? (Yes/No)
Yes.
2.1. If the answer to question 2 is "Yes", please describe the measures developed.
In 2007 the EPA tendered a project to develop an inventory of POPs in Ireland which includes releases to air, land and water. The emission estimates were drawn upon data from measurements and research within Ireland, but are also supplemented by calculations using literature emission factors and available activity data such as industry information in Ireland.The project report provides detailed information in relation to activity data for the diverse range of sources that give rise to emissions of POPs within Ireland.
Measures used to identify sources of Annex III substances as part of the inventories for POPsreleases to air, land and water have included:
- UNECE EMEP/CORINAIR Emission Inventory Guidebook 2007;
- UNEP Toolkit 2005 Standardised Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and Furan Releases;
- Consultation with a wide range of industry sectors, service providers and government bodies;
- Targeted research of specific data sources for relevant source sectors; and
- Literature sources including research literature on POPs emissions from specialist research symposia and conferences, and POPs inventories of other Member States.
Please refer to Ireland Informative Inventory Report 2013 Air Pollutant Emissions in Ireland 1990–2011 (available at ) for further information on sources used to estimate emissions to air.
Other measures used by Ireland to identify sources of substances listed in Annex III include:
a)E-PRTR
The Electronic Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 came into force in 2006 andwas enacted into Irish legislation by national regulations concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register[6] (S.I. No. 123 of 2007).
The E-PRTR database is an effective means for identifying potentially hazardous chemical substances and/or pollutants released to air, water and soil andwastestransferred off-site for treatment or disposal. The aim of the inventory isto make information more available to the public on pollutant emissions and waste transfersfrom a range of operations. Reporting under PRTR is an annual process.The E-PRTR Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 requires that emissions and waste transfers from specified industrial and waste management operations which are above the reporting thresholds must be reported to the European Commission for publication on a dedicated website which is available at the following link:
Ireland has a dedicated website for information on Pollutant Release and Transfer Register including information on quantities of pollutant releases (including POPs)in accordance with E-PRTR reporting thresholds:
The EPA's AER / PRTR Electronic Website and Workbook data reporting system provides facilities with a standardised reporting mechanism to report their annual environmental information returns. The EPA extracts the relevant E-PRTR information for reporting to the European Commission.Such data is reported by quarries, Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) facilities, waste and wastewater facilities which help identify potential sources of emissions. Annex III substances (in accordance with the reporting threshold requirements) are included in the list of parameters that are available.
b)PCB Inventory
As required under the Council Directive 96/59/EC on polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCBs/PCTs) and national regulations (Waste Management (Hazardous Waste) Regulations 1998) Ireland is required to prepare and update the national inventory of PCB holdings. In seeking to have a comprehensive inventory, the EPA has engaged in widespread inspections to identify as many PCB holdings as possible. This work is on-going and such information allows the EPA to identify potential sources of PCBs.
Initially in August 2008 the EPA updated and published on its website the Management Plan for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Ireland including a Code of Practice for the in-use management of PCBs and PCB-containing equipment. This plan includes a database of known sources and brands of equipment that is considered to potentially contain PCBs. Further work was carried out in 2009 to identify potential sources of PCBs and a risk profile was developed to establish in-scope electrical equipment and PCB contamination.
The National Large PCB holdings and Small PCB holdings was updated and published on the EPA website in early 2010 (). However, during 2011 an increase in the price of metals in Ireland meant that theft and vandalism of potentially PCB-contaminated equipment had increased. As a precautionary measure the inventory was temporarily removed from the PCB website during 2011 and 2012. See page 21 for further details.
As described under Section II, 1.1 above, approximately 302 PCB inspections were carried out over the three year period 2010-2012 to identify confirmed and suspected PCB holdings.
3. Has your Member State developed measures in order to characterisesources of substances listed in Annex III? (Yes/No)
Yes.
3.1. If the answer to question 3 is "Yes", please describe the measures developed.
Ireland prepared and transmitted its National Implementation Plan on POPs in 2012 in accordance with its obligations under Article 7 of the Stockholm Convention. Section 4 of the Plan details the measures used to characterise sources of unintentional POPs. The 1998 Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) requires the compilation of an inventory of anthropogenic emissions to air. This inventory is reported annually.
In order to illustrate the current releases of unintentional POPs for the National Implementation Plan on POPs and national reporting requirements under the Stockholm Convention, the releases of unintentional POPs were mapped and reported under the main source categories established in the UNEP Standardized Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Dioxin and Furan Releases. This helped to identify and characterise the key sources of unintentional POPs emissions. Further information is available in Section 4 of Ireland’s National Implementation Plan on POPs (available at ).
4. Has your Member State developed measures in order to minimisesources of substances listed in Annex III? (Yes/No)
Yes.
4.1. If the answer to question 4 is "Yes", please describe the measures developed.
National POPs Regulations
In 2010 Ireland introduced national legislation concerning POPs(Persistent Organic Pollutant Regulations 2010[7]).The regulations designate the EPA as the competent authority for the purposes of the EU POPs Regulation (Regulation (EC) 850 of 2004). The EPA’s responsibilities include the preparation and maintenance of release inventories and, in consultation with certain public authorities concerned and the public, the preparation of a national action plan and implementation plan setting out how Ireland is meeting its obligations under the Stockholm Convention. The regulations also set out the roles of certain public authorities concerned in relation to POPs.
Controls on emissions from major industrial and waste management activities
The Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) Directive and Waste Incineration Directive (which aresuperseded by the Industrial Emissions Directive[8]) sets out the framework for the control of emissions including dioxins from major industrial installations and waste facilities. Such facilities are required to have licences for their operations and must comply with certain conditions including compliance with emission limit values.
In Ireland, the EPA licenses over 500 industrial facilities and over 200 waste and waste water facilities through IPPC licensing and waste licensing. The EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement undertakes regular inspections of these operations. Emissions monitoring is also undertaken to ensure compliance with their licence conditions. Local Authorities also have a role in regulating and enforcing specified waste activities.
EPA licenced operations are required to operate to Best Available Techniques (BAT) Guidance and have monitoring requirements imposed as part of their licences. The concept of BAT was introduced as a key principle in the IPPC Directive. Thus, for activities falling within the scope of the Directive and regulated by Irish legislation (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992, Waste Management Act 1996 and Protection of the Environment Act 2003 (as amended)), BAT must be applied. The EPA continues to develop BAT guidance notes for various industrial sectors. Where relevant, controls on POPs emissions are included in order to ensure BAT compliance and minimise emissions from specific sectors. Ireland has introduced national regulations in 2013 to transpose the Industrial Emissions Directive[9].
National Waste Prevention Programme
In 2004 the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government established the National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP) which is led by the EPA. The EPA publishes annual reports detailing the work that was carried out under the programme. This includes work that has been undertaken in relation to POPs and PCBs. In addition, the NWPP and other programmes are implementing concrete projects with industry, commercial sectors and general society to promote resource efficiency in conjunction with a variety of stakeholders which are leading to a reduction in resource consumption and consequent reduction in POPs emissions. The annual reports for 2010 (2009-2010), 2011 & 2012 are available at:
National Hazardous Waste Management Plan
The National Hazardous Waste Management Plan2008 - 2012 is the second National Hazardous Waste Management Plan to be issued, the first plan having been published in 2001. This Plan sets out the priority actions that should be taken in relation to the prevention of hazardous waste including:
- prevention of hazardous waste generation;
- improved collection rates for certain categories of hazardous waste;
- steps that are required to improve Ireland’s self-sufficiency in hazardous waste management; and
- management of certain legacy issues (e.g. closed historic landfills)
The National Hazardous Waste Management Plan (2008-2012)is available at . A Proposed Revised Plan which is a revision ofthe National Hazardous Waste Management Plan (2008-2012) has recently been prepared and is currently available for public consultation at .