What Is Waste?
Waste analysis determines whether a waste is hazardous and which class of landfill it can be accepted into. It has two components: TOTAL CONTENT analysis (pollutant concentrations in the waste) and the LEACHING test (the amount of substance dissolved from the waste when washed with water per EN 12457). Landfill acceptance criteria are based on leaching results.
Purpose of Waste
The purpose is to ensure the waste is correctly classified under 2008/98/EC and the waste list, and to determine the appropriate disposal route. Misclassification creates both environmental risk and legal liability.
Which Products Is Waste Applied To?
- Industrial process waste
- Treatment plant waste
- Construction and demolition waste
- Contaminated soil and excavated material
- Ash, slag and mining waste
In Which Sectors Is Waste Used?
Standards Related to Waste
- TS EN 12457-1/-2/-3/-4 (leaching test for granular waste)
- TS EN 14899 (framework for the preparation and application of a sampling plan for waste)
- TS EN 15002 (preparation of test portions from the laboratory sample)
- TS EN 16192 (analysis of eluates)
- TS EN 15169 (loss on ignition)
- TS EN 14346 (determination of dry matter)
Waste Conditions
- Liquid-to-solid ratio
- Liquid-to-solid ratios defined in EN 12457; the result changes if the ratio changes
- Particle size
- The specimen is ground per the standard; particle size affects dissolution
- Total content
- Total concentrations are also required for hazard assessment
- HP criteria
- Hazardous properties (HP 1–HP 15) are assessed via the waste list and composition
Equipment for Waste
- Agitated leaching test rigs
- ICP-MS / ICP-OES
- Ion chromatography
- TOC analyser
- Grinder, oven and muffle furnace
Sample Requirements for Waste
- Sampling is the largest component of total uncertainty in environmental analysis. The specimen container, preservation (acidification, cooling, storage in the dark), fill method and time to reach the laboratory are all defined in the standard; if any one is not met, the result loses its validity. Sampling must be carried out by authorised personnel per a written plan.
- Representative sampling of heterogeneous waste must be planned per EN 14899
- The waste's source, process and waste code must be provided
- Sufficient specimen quantity; the leaching test requires a defined mass
Duration of Waste
The leaching test takes the agitation time defined in the standard; leachate and total content analyses follow. Total duration is usually a few working days.
Waste Procedure
- 1The waste's source, process and likely pollutants are assessed.
- 2A representative specimen is taken per EN 14899.
- 3The specimen is prepared and ground per the standard.
- 4The leaching test is applied at the defined liquid-to-solid ratio.
- 5Analyses are performed on the leachate and, if required, on total content.
- 6Results are assessed against landfill acceptance criteria and the HP criteria.
Waste Acceptance Criteria
2003/33/EC defines leaching criteria for landfill acceptance per waste class (inert, non-hazardous, hazardous). Hazard assessment is carried out via the HP properties defined in (EU) 1357/2014. Applicable criteria are confirmed from current legislation.
Evaluation of Results
Leaching and total content results answer different questions: total content shows how much pollutant is in the waste, leaching shows how much of it can be carried by water. Waste with high total content can still meet leaching criteria if the pollutant is bound. Hazard assessment is carried out via composition, independent of both.
Waste Report
- Waste identification, source and waste code
- Sampling plan and representativeness assessment
- Leaching test conditions and liquid-to-solid ratio
- Leachate and total content results
- Landfill acceptance criteria and HP assessment compared against
Accreditation
EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.
Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Scope and authorisationsRelated Regulations
- 2008/98/EC Waste Framework Directive
- (EU) 1357/2014 Regulation on Hazardous Properties
- 2003/33/EC Council Decision on Landfill Acceptance Criteria
- 1999/31/EC Landfill Directive
Environmental Analysis — What Does This Testing Field Cover?
The section below describes the field that the Waste test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Environmental analysis determines the presence and concentration of pollutants in water, soil, waste, air and flue gas samples. The output of this family is usually part of a permit, a declaration or an inspection file; the result has direct legal consequences.
In this family SAMPLING is half the result, and this is the feature that most sets the field apart. A sample taken at the wrong time, in the wrong container, under the wrong preservation or from the wrong point gives an invalid result no matter how well it is analysed in the laboratory. In waste water a grab sample and a composite sample give different information; in soil, surface and depth produce different results. Sampling therefore has its own standards and its own accreditation scope.
On the water side, physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, COD, BOD, suspended solids), ions, heavy metals, organic pollutants and microbiological parameters are measured. Drinking water and waste water carry different parameter sets and different limits; the same laboratory method leads to a different decision under the two regimes.
In soil and waste, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, PAH and PCB compounds and LEACHING BEHAVIOUR are determined. The leaching test carries a logic peculiar to this field: it is not the total amount of a pollutant in soil but the fraction that can pass into water that determines the environmental risk. Waste classification and the disposal decision rest largely on this test.
On the emissions side, dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxygen, moisture and total organic carbon are monitored in flue gas. Measurement is made on site under operating conditions and must represent the plant's actual operating regime; a measurement taken at low load does not show the emissions at full capacity.
Continuous measurement systems are a separate body of work. In large plants emissions are monitored continuously and the accuracy of these systems is verified periodically by comparison with independent measurements; the quality assurance framework governs this.
Noise and vibration measurements complete the environmental impact side of the field: environmental noise mapping, workplace noise exposure and vibration exposure measurements produce evidence for both environmental and occupational health legislation.
Method groups in this field
Sampling
Separate sampling standards for water, waste water, soil, waste, flue gas and ambient air; grab, composite and continuous sampling techniques.
Water physico-chemical
pH, conductivity, turbidity, colour, suspended solids, COD, BOD, TOC, alkalinity, nitrogen and phosphorus species.
Elemental analysis
Determination of heavy metals and trace elements in water, soil and waste by ICP-OES and ICP-MS.
Organic pollutants
Volatile organic compounds, PAH, PCB and organochlorine pesticides by GC-MS; hydrocarbon oil index.
Flue gas
Measurement of dust, SO2, NOx, CO, O2, moisture and total gaseous organic carbon; quality assurance of automated measuring systems.
Leaching and waste characterisation
Leaching tests and waste classification parameters; the basis for the disposal decision.
Commonly confused in this field
- An analytical result cannot be used on its own without the sampling record; the time, point, conditions and chain of custody are part of the report.
- Total content and leachable amount give different information; in waste classification, leaching behaviour is what counts.
- Emission measurement must be made under representative operating conditions of the plant; a result taken at partial load is misleading.
- Drinking water and waste water limits are defined in different legislation; the same parameter carries a different threshold under the two regimes.
- A sample from a single point does not represent the whole area; assessment of a contaminated site requires a grid-based sampling plan.
Which decisions these results support
- Compliance with environmental permits and discharge limits
- Quality assurance of continuous emission measurement systems
- Contaminated site assessment and the remediation decision
- Waste classification and selection of the disposal method
- Workplace exposure measurements and occupational health obligations
Related Tests
Frequently Asked Questions About Waste
Does analysis determine the waste code?
No. The waste code is chosen from the waste list based on the waste's source and the process producing it. Analysis helps decide, for mirror entries (where the same waste has a hazardous and a non-hazardous code), which one applies.
The leaching test passed — is the waste non-hazardous?
No. Leaching criteria are landfill acceptance criteria; hazard is a separate assessment carried out via the HP properties. A waste can be accepted for landfill while still being classed as hazardous.