The Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

PART III assessment of benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement

1.  In assessing benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement for the purposes of paragraphs 9, 10 and 11 of Part I of this Schedule, regard shall be had to the following paragraphs of this Part.

2.  Benefit to agriculture shall be assessed by reference to whether the spreading will result in an improvement of the soil for the purpose of growing crops or grazing, and the following criteria shall apply for the purposes of such assessment –

(a) the addition of nitrogen, phosphorous and other plant nutrients in the waste material should take account of the soil nutrient status and other sources of nutrient supply and be matched to the needs of the planned crop rotation;

(b) the addition of total nitrogen attributable to the spreading in any 12 month period must not exceed 250 kg per hectare, except in the case of the following wastes –

(i) garden and park wastes (including cemetery wastes) consisting of soil and stones;

(ii) soil (including excavated soil from contaminated sites), stones and dredging spoil, consisting of soil and stones;

(iii) soil from cleaning and washing beet; and

(iv) dredging spoil;

(c) the addition of materials containing lime should take account of the neutralising value of the material, the pH of the soil and the target soil pH for the crop rotation;

(d) the addition of organic matter which improves the capacity of the soil to hold water, or its porosity, stability, tilth and workability and is a benefit;

(e) the spreading of watery wastes may be a benefit where the moisture of the soil is insufficient to support the growth of crops at the time of application, or where they contain nutrients which are applied at an appropriate rate;

(f) the spreading of waste soil may be a benefit where it is done in order to level uneven land and thereby facilitate the use of the land for agriculture, but not where it is done solely in order to raise the level of the land.

3.  Ecological improvement shall be assessed by reference to the extent to which wildlife habitats, which might otherwise deteriorate, are maintained or supported. The creation of a new habitat or the restoration of an old habitat shall be considered to be an improvement.

Table 12

(Part I, paragraph 9)

	Parameter
Waste description and EWC Code (relating to Table 3)	Neutralising value	Micro-biology	Oils and fats	Potential toxic elements	Prescribed substances*	Carbon/ nitrogen ratio
* substances listed in Schedule 6 to the 1998 Regulations.
Plant tissue waste 02 01 03		✓		✓	✓	✓
Soil from cleaning and washing beet 02 04 01		✓		✓	✓	✓
Off specification compost consisting only of biodegradable waste 19 05 03		✓		✓	✓	✓
Biodegradable waste 20 02 01		✓		✓	✓	✓
Straw, wood or paper-based bedding waste, slurry or dirty water from stables, zoos, animal parks or livestock markets 02 01 99		✓		✓	✓
Blood and gut contents from abattoirs or poultry preparation plants 02 02 03		✓	✓
Waste bark and cork 03 01 01		✓		✓	✓
Sawdust shavings, cuttings, wood, particle board 03 01 05		✓		✓	✓
Waste bark and wood 03 03 01		✓		✓	✓
Soil and stones 17 05 04		✓		✓	✓
Soil and stones (from gardens and parks including cemeteries) 20 02 02		✓		✓	✓
Wastes from fruit, vegetables, cereals, edible oils, cocoa, coffee, tea and tobacco preparation and processing; conserve productions; yeast and yeast extract productions; molasses preparation and fermentation 02 03 01 to 02 03 05	✓		✓
Wastes from sugar processing 02 04 01 to 02 04 03	✓		✓
Wastes from production of dairy products 02 05 01 to 02 05 02	✓		✓
Wastes from the baking and confectionery industry 02 06 01 to 02 06 03	✓		✓
Wastes from the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (except coffee, tea and cocoa) 02 07 01 to 02 07 05	✓		✓
De-inking sludges and de-inked paper pulp from paper recycling 03 03 05 and 03 03 99	✓			✓	✓	✓
Lime mud waste 03 03 09	✓			✓	✓
Wastes from calcin-ation and hydration of lime 10 13 04	✓			✓	✓
Sludges, in particular from on-site effluent treatment free of chromium 04 01 07			✓	✓	✓
Organic matter from natural products (e.g. grease, wax) 04 02 10						✓
Wastes from finishing other than those containing organic solvents 04 02 15						✓
Sludges from on-site effluent treatment 04 02 20						✓
Wastes from unprocessed textile fibres 04 02 21						✓
Wastes from processed textile fibres 04 02 22						✓
Dredging spoil 17 05 06				✓	✓
Liquor from anaerobic treatment of municipal waste 19 06 03				✓	✓
Digestate from anaerobic treatment of municipal waste 10 06 04				✓	✓
Liquor from anaerobic treatment of animal and vegetable waste 19 06 05				✓	✓
Digestate from anaerobic treatment of animal and vegetable waste 19 06 06				✓	✓
Sludges from water clarification 19 09 02	✓	✓		✓	✓