This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Management of waste from extractive industries
The European Union has introduced measures to prevent or minimise any adverse effects on the environment and health arising from the management of waste from extractive industries.
ACT
Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the management of waste from extractive industries and amending Directive 2004/35/EC - Statement by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission
SUMMARY
WHAT DOES THIS DIRECTIVE DO?
Directive 2006/21/EC introduces measures for safe management of waste resulting from the extraction, treatment and storage of mineral resources and the working of quarries.
KEY POINTS
A facility operator needs a permit to run an extractive industry waste facility. This Directive lays down the rules for the granting of permits to operators by the authorities designated by each EU country
Authorities must take measures when a new facility is built or an existing one is modified concerning:
Category A waste facilities*
Operators of Category A facilities (which pose particular health and environment risks) must draw up:
Classification criteria for Category A facilities are further defined in Decision 2009/337/EC.
National authorities must draw up external emergency plans specifying off-site measures in the event of an accident.
Operators must provide a financial guarantee to ensure that the Directive’s obligations are covered prior to operations beginning. They must also ensure that funding is available for site restoration when a facility closes down.
Decision 2009/335/EC defines technical guidelines for the establishment of financial guaranties.
Waste management
Operators must draw up a waste management plan that prevents or reduces waste generation, and encourages waste recovery and safe waste disposal. It must be reviewed every 5 years by the authorities.
It must include:
Authorities must ensure that operators have taken measures to prevent water and soil contamination, in particular by:
Regarding the use of cyanide in mineral extraction, the Directive introduces measures aimed at limiting its concentration in tailings ponds* and waste waters.
Inspections and reports
The authorities must inspect waste facilities at regular intervals, including after their closure. Operators are required to keep up-to-date records of all operations and to make them available for inspection by authorities. Every 3 years, EU countries must send the European Commission a report on the Directive's implementation.
WHEN DOES THIS DIRECTIVE APPLY?
From 1 May 2006.
KEY TERMS
* Category A waste facilities: a waste facility is classed as Category A if:
* Tailings ponds: tailings are the waste rock and effluents (some of them chemical, such as cyanide) from the mining process. Tailings are often pumped into ponds to undergo sedimentation where the various solids are separated from the water.
For more information, see:
REFERENCES
Act |
Entry into force |
Deadline for transposition in the Member States |
Official Journal |
Directive 2006/21/EC |
1.5.2006 |
- |
Amending act |
Entry into force |
Deadline for transposition in the Member States |
Official Journal |
Regulation (EC) No 596/2009 |
7.8.2009 |
- |
RELATED ACTS
Commission Decision 2009/335/EC of 20 April 2009 on technical guidelines for the establishment of the financial guarantee in accordance with Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the management of waste from extractive industries (OJ L 101, 21.4.2009, pp. 25-25)
Commission Decision 2009/337/EC of 20 April 2009 on the definition of the criteria for the classification of waste facilities in accordance with Annex III of Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the management of waste from extractive industries (OJ L 102, 22.4.2009, pp. 7-11)
Commission Decision 2009/358/EC of 29 April 2009 on the harmonisation, the regular transmission of the information and the questionnaire referred to in Articles 22(1)(a) and 18 of Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the management of waste from extractive industries (OJ L 110, 1.5.2009, pp. 39-45)
Commission Decision 2009/359/EC of 30 April 2009 completing the definition of inert waste in implementation of Article 22(1)(f) of Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and the Council concerning the management of waste from extractive industries (OJ L 110, 1.5.2009, pp. 46-47)
Commission Decision 2009/360/EC of 30 April 2009 completing the technical requirements for waste characterisation laid down by Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the management of waste from extractive industries (OJ L 110, 1.5.2009, pp. 48-51)
last update 09.09.2015