Long term storage

Recommendations on the long term storage of oil spill waste

Authority(ies) is in charge of managing the long term storage of oil spill waste

Rules and regulations applicable to long term oil spill waste storage sites

This Section will detail rules and regulations applicable to long term storage sites of oil spill waste in your country.

Intermediate storage is not recommended for long periods (from an environmental point of view). It is recommended to implement “long term storage” when required, i.e.:

• the total volume of waste exceeds the treatment capability in the country;
• installations have to be adapted (or built) to provide the suitable (pre-)treatment depending on the type of waste and treatment chosen;
• negotiating contracts for the treatment (or the export of waste) may be a lengthy project.

Long term storage enables:

• the storage of waste for year(s) in a secured and environmentally suitable location, time for the treatment and final disposal facilities to be completed for all the categories of waste collected,
• the further sorting of the waste (once the treatment options are finalized), and
• supplying waste to the treatment installations at a rate matching their treatment capability.

Long-term storage sites must be pre-identified during the planning process and be officially approved by the National Competent Authority. Large areas will be required to receive waste from major pollutions. Due to the potentially large amount of waste that may be stored on the site for a long period, a risk assessment should be carried out to choose a site where potential infiltration of oil and oily water into the ground would have the least impact.

The long-term storage sites will have to be set up and managed accordingly to the long period of use of the site. Reception facilities will be manned and secured on a 24/7 basis during the clean-up operations. A complete waste tracking system during the operations, i.e. waste movement on site, and environmental site monitoring system must be implemented. Once reception of waste is completed, the site must be checked regularly, with regular analysis of the soil and ground water quality.

The final rehabilitation of the site will be carried out after a complete environmental assessment of the impacts of the waste storage and should include soil and ground water de-pollution if required.

Equipment available in country for long term storage

This Section will detail the equipment available in country for intermediate storage sites

Location of existing and/ or potential long term storage sites

Estimated cost of long term storage per ton of waste

This Section will precise an estimated cost of storage per ton in intermediate sites