Communiqué on Refuse-Derived Fuel, Additional Fuel, and Alternative Raw Materials

The Communiqué on Refuse-Derived Fuel, Additional Fuel and Alternative Raw Materials was published in the Official Gazette No. 29036 on 20 June 2014 and entered into force on the date of publication (Article 25). The current text includes two amendments, published on 23 December 2014 (No. 29214) and 13 April 2017 (No. 30037). It regulates the minimum requirements for facilities preparing refuse-derived fuel (RDF), the use of RDF and additional fuel, and the use of waste as alternative raw material (Article 1).

What do RDF, additional fuel and alternative raw material mean?

RDF is fuel produced from wastes marked in the relevant column of the waste list, meeting the specifications in Annex 3, which can be used in incineration or co-incineration plants. Additional fuel is waste that can be accepted separately, other than RDF, by co-incineration plants as alternative fuel. Alternative raw material is waste arising from a facility's activity that can be used as an additive to raw material because of its mineral properties (Article 4). Use of biomass as additional fuel is outside the scope of the communiqué (Article 2).

What conditions must RDF preparation facilities meet?

RDF preparation facilities and RDF and additional fuel users must obtain an environmental licence (Articles 5 and 21). The total enclosed area used for waste processing cannot be less than 1000 m²; the building must be single-storey, at least 5 m high and built of concrete of the specified durability (Article 7). The facility must have a fire-extinguishing system, a spark detector, a laboratory, a weighbridge, a wheel-washing unit and a wastewater treatment plant, and a radiation measurement panel is required at the entrance. Facilities take out financial liability insurance every year and employ a responsible engineer on a continuous basis (Articles 5 and 7). Facilities that prepare and use RDF enter data on the RDF prepared and used into the Ministry's online mass-balance system (Article 6).

How are RDF and waste accepted?

RDF preparation facilities accept only the waste listed in their licence, and verification tests are done in the facility's own laboratory (Article 9). An RDF information form (ATYBF) showing the properties of the fuel is prepared and renewed at every menu change (Article 8). RDF made only from municipal waste is classified under code "19 12 10", and in other cases under "19 12 11*" (Article 6). Explosive and radioactive waste may not be accepted by RDF facilities. Under Article 5, co-incineration plants, with listed exceptions, must use RDF once waste feed reaches 5000 tonnes a year or more, and plants feeding 1500 tonnes a year or more need an automatic feeding system.

What procedures apply to additional fuel and alternative raw material?

Plants using additional fuel may accept only waste matching the "Additional Fuel" column of the waste list; sewage sludge must contain at most 50% moisture (Article 12). Plants using alternative raw material are exempt from the environmental licence and are registered by the Ministry, but must apply for and obtain approval. Cement, concrete, lime, brick, tile, ceramics and iron-steel plants may use waste the Ministry finds suitable. Businesses giving waste to these plants complete the waste declaration form online by the end of March each year and keep it for five years (Article 13). The application includes documents such as an analysis report and an institutional academic report (Article 14).

What does it mean for destruction and recycling?

Some waste that cannot be recycled but has energy content can be used as RDF at cement plants, thermal power plants or iron-steel facilities, so that it becomes fuel instead of going to landfill. This route is only possible with licensed facilities; the RDF preparation facility submits its protocols and contracts with the user facility to the Ministry (Article 6). Waste whose management is regulated by other legislation and whose recovery is not permitted cannot be accepted by RDF facilities (Article 6).

What should companies pay attention to in practice?

Breaches are subject to the sanctions in Articles 15 and 20 of the Environment Law (Article 24). The measurement rules of the Waste Incineration Regulation apply for continuous-measurement exemption and emission compliance (Articles 16-17). Waste-supplying businesses should check the facility's licence scope, the waste code, the analysis results and that transport is by licensed vehicle.