In the eighties of the previous century, waste incineration plants (WIPs) came to be the symbol of environmental contamination: citizens were beginning to put up a fight against the throw-away society and 'dioxin spouting' on the outskirts of cities. That protest was a success. Today, more than half of all household waste (55%) is recycled as bio-waste, waste paper, waste glass, or packaging waste. Since June 1, 2005, untreated waste is no longer landfilled.

List of activities which result in atmospheric emissions which have or may have a significant detrimental effect on the environment, including health, social conditions, economic conditions, ecological conditions or cultural heritage.

Directive 2000/76/ec of the european parliament and of the council of 4 December 2000 on the incineration of waste.

Directive 2000/76/ec of the european parliament and of the council of 4 December 2000 on the incineration of waste.

Methane (CH4) is predicted to cause as much global warming as carbon dioxide (CO2) over the next 20 years. Traditionally the global warming potential (GWP) of methane has been measured over 100 years. The IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC 2007) warns that this underestimates its immediate impact. Viewed over 20 years it has 72 times the GWP of CO2.

All medical waste must be incinerated for at least 1 second at 800 °C in an incinerator with a valid licence in terms of the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act, 1965 (Act 45 of 1965), which has available capacity.

The Minister of Labour has, under section 43 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993), after consultation with the Advisory Council for Occupational Health and Safety and the Minister of Finance, made the regulations in the Schedule.