Directiva 1999/31/CE sobre vertido de residuos

The Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC is the key European Union rule governing the disposal of waste in landfills. Its main aim is to prevent or minimise the negative effects of landfilling on human health and the environment, particularly soil, water and air pollution, and the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the decomposition of biodegradable waste.

The directive brought about one of the biggest structural changes in waste management in Europe, driving the modernisation of landfills, the closure of obsolete sites, a reduction in the volume of waste sent to landfill and the shift towards a circular economy. Through technical requirements, strict environmental controls and obligations to cut biodegradable waste, it has significantly reduced the impact of waste disposal and promoted recycling, recovery and prevention.

Main objectives

1. Reduce the landfilling of waste in Europe through progressive obligations.
2. Set strict technical requirements for the design, operation, control and closure of landfills.
3. Cut the amount of biodegradable waste landfilled, because of its high potential to generate methane (CH₄).
4. Prevent pollution of soil, groundwater and surface water through lining systems and leachate control.
5. Control diffuse emissions, especially methane, CO₂, odour and particles.
6. Ensure only suitable waste is landfilled, after mandatory pre-treatment.

Types of landfill regulated

The directive sets three categories:

Landfills for hazardous waste

Require the highest standards of safety, lining and control.

Landfills for non-hazardous waste

Cover a wide range of industrial and municipal waste.

Landfills for inert waste

For materials that do not undergo significant physical, chemical or biological change (aggregates, clean concrete, ceramics). Each type of landfill has different technical requirements.

Mandatory pre-treatment

One of the most important principles of the directive is that no waste may be landfilled without prior treatment, except inert waste that cannot be improved by treatment. Pre-treatment aims to reduce volume, stabilise the waste, lower potential pollution and increase recovery. This has driven infrastructure such as:

• Mechanical-biological treatment (MBT).
• Anaerobic digestion.
• Composting.
• Sludge stabilisation.
• Sorting and classification plants.

Technical requirements for landfills

Base lining

Multi-layer systems to prevent groundwater contamination.

Leachate collection and management

Obligation to provide a drainage network, leachate storage and physico-chemical and biological treatment.

Landfill gas capture and treatment

Landfills must capture the gases generated, treat or recover the landfill gas (electricity, heat), and reduce diffuse methane emissions.

Geotechnical stability control

To prevent slippage and structural risks.

Sealing and closure

At the end of its life, a landfill must be sealed with geomembranes, replanted and monitored for decades.

Waste banned from landfill

The directive bans the landfilling of liquid waste, explosive, oxidising or flammable waste, infectious waste, whole tyres and waste that does not meet acceptance criteria. It also limits waste with a high content of organic matter or biodegradable carbon.

The obligation to reduce biodegradable waste

One of the directive's biggest contributions is the obligation to progressively reduce the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste, against a 1995 baseline:

• To 75% of the 1995 level by 2006.
• To 50% by 2009.
• To 35% by 2016.

Several Member States, including Spain, needed extended deadlines because of delays in rolling out separate bio-waste collection. These targets have driven separate bio-waste collection, composting and anaerobic digestion plants, biological stabilisation technologies and food-waste programmes.

Control and monitoring

Member States must ensure groundwater monitoring, leachate control, landfill gas control, periodic inspections and national reporting. The information feeds the European pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR) and environmental statistics.

Impact on waste management in Europe

The directive has been responsible for closing thousands of uncontrolled dumps, modernising infrastructure, reducing the landfilling of municipal waste, boosting recycling and recovery, and improving the quality of environmental data. In many countries, landfill has gone from being the main option to the last resort.

The situation in Spain

Spain has traditionally had high landfill rates. Following the directive and national legislation, more than 1,700 uncontrolled dumps have been closed, modern controlled landfills have been built, a landfill tax has been introduced through Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soils, and separate bio-waste collection has become mandatory. Even so, landfilling still exceeds the European target of a maximum of 10% of municipal waste by 2035.

Link with the circular economy

Directive 1999/31/EC discourages landfilling in favour of recycling and reuse, reduces the material footprint, cuts methane emissions and supports compliance with the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy 2030 and the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. Its integration with more recent environmental policy reinforces the move towards circular models.

Links with other instruments

• The Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU regulates incineration and industrial emissions.
• Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 governs international waste shipments.
• The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC drives prevention and recycling.
• The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will introduce reuse targets that reduce waste sent to landfill.
• Law 7/2022 establishes the landfill tax in Spain.

Amendments and modernisation

The directive's landfill-reduction targets, including the 2035 ceiling of 10% of municipal waste, were introduced by the 2018 circular economy package (Directive (EU) 2018/850). The directive was further amended by Directive (EU) 2024/1785, the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive. Alongside the rules, landfill control has been modernised with IoT systems to detect leaks and emissions, biogas capture and use for energy, advanced sealing systems, drones for volumetric monitoring and predictive models for planning.

Current challenges

Challenges remain, including insufficient reductions in landfilling in several Member States, the high cost of technical upgrades, uneven compliance between regions, diffuse methane emissions that are hard to control, and the persistence of illegal dumping.

How Manglai helps with waste and emissions data

Meeting landfill and waste obligations, and reporting them, depends on reliable data. At Manglai we help companies measure their carbon footprint, including waste-related emissions, and prepare their sustainability reporting on auditable figures. Discover how Manglai can help you.