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Statutory Instruments of the Scottish Parliament


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SCOTTISH STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS


2005 No. 157

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The Landfill Allowances Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2005

  Made 16th March 2005 
  Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(2) and (3)


ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS


PART 1

General
1. Citation, commencement and extent
2. Interpretation
3. Giving notices and notifications, and the submission of forms and returns
4. Electronic registers and forms

PART 2

Allocation and the banking, borrowing and transfer of landfill allowances
5. Allocation of allowances
6. Banking landfill allowances
7. Borrowing of landfill allowances
8. Transfer of landfill allowances
9. Suspension of banking, borrowing and transferring of landfill allowances

PART 3

Monitoring
10. Monitoring authority
11. Obligation for waste disposal authorities to keep records and make returns
12. Obligation for operators of landfills to keep records and make returns
13. Determining the amount of biodegradable municipal waste in amounts of waste
14. Calculation of the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills
15. Utilisation of landfill allowances

PART 4

Landfill Allowances Register
16. Landfill allowances register
17. Amendment of information on registers
18. Availability of register

PART 5

Penalties
19. Penalties: exceeding allowances
20. Penalties: failure to comply with requirements imposed by regulation 11
21. Penalties: general

PART 6

Guidance
22. Guidance to waste disposal authorities

  SCHEDULE Amount of biodegradable municipal waste in certain types of waste

The Scottish Ministers, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 6, 7, 10 to 13, 15, 16, 26 and 36 of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003[
1] ("the Act") and all other powers enabling them in that behalf, having consulted in accordance with section 27(2) of the Act such bodies or persons appearing to them to be representative of the interests of-

as they consider appropriate, hereby make the following Regulations, a draft of which has in accordance with section 28(4) of the Act (since these Regulations include the first regulations to be made by the Scottish Ministers under sections 6, 7 and 11 of the Act), been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, the Scottish Parliament:



PART 1

General

Citation, commencement and extent
     1.  - (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Landfill Allowances Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2005.

    (2) Except as specified in paragraph (3) below, these Regulations shall come into force on 1st April 2005.

    (3) Regulation 8 shall come into force on 1st April 2008.

    (4) These Regulations extend to Scotland only.

Interpretation
    
2.  - (1) In these Regulations-

    (2) In these Regulations references to waste being sent by a waste disposal authority to a landfill or a waste facility are references to waste being sent to such a landfill or facility in pursuance of arrangements made by the authority.

    (3) In these Regulations a landfill allowance is available to a waste disposal authority for a scheme year if-

Giving notices and notifications, and the submission of forms and returns
     3.  - (1) Subject to paragraph (2), where under these Regulations a person is required or authorised to-

the form, notice, return or notification must be in writing.

    (2) Where-

Electronic registers and forms
    
4.  - (1) The register established or maintained under regulation 16 may be in electronic form.

    (2) Where that register is in electronic form, that authority may make it available for inspection by the public on a website maintained by the authority for that purpose.

    (3) Any form provided by the monitoring authority under these Regulations may be provided-



PART 2

Allocation and the banking, borrowing and transfer of landfill allowances

Allocation of allowances
    
5. As soon as reasonably practicable after the Scottish Ministers have complied with section 4(4) of the Act, the monitoring authority must assign all landfill allowances allocated to a waste disposal authority under that section-

Banking landfill allowances
    
6.  - (1) All landfill allowances which-

must be banked for use in the following scheme year.

    (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply-

Borrowing of landfill allowances
    
7.  - (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), a waste disposal authority may borrow for use in a scheme year (other than the scheme years mentioned in paragraph (3)) up to 5% of the landfill allowances available to it for the following scheme year (rounded down to the nearest whole allowance).

    (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply-

    (3) In respect of a scheme year which begins on 1st April 2005, 1st April 2006 or 1st April 2007, a waste disposal authority may borrow for use in the relevant scheme year up to 10% of the landfill allowances available to it for the following scheme year (rounded down to the nearest whole allowance).

    (4) Where a waste disposal authority intends to borrow a landfill allowance it must submit a borrowing request to the monitoring authority before the end of the reconciliation period for the scheme year.

    (5) A borrowing request must-

    (6) The monitoring authority is not required to consider a borrowing request unless it is made in accordance with paragraph (5).

    (7) If the conditions in paragraph (9) are satisfied the monitoring authority must-

    (8) If the conditions in paragraph (9) are not satisfied the monitoring authority must notify the waste disposal authority-

    (9) The conditions referred to in paragraphs (7) and (8) are that-

Transfer of landfill allowances
    
8.  - (1) Subject to paragraph (2) a waste disposal authority may transfer to any other waste disposal authority, whether by way of trade or otherwise, landfill allowances which-

    (2) A waste disposal authority must not transfer an allowance from any scheme year for which the allowance is available to the authority unless the transfer is to that same scheme year.

    (3) Where a waste disposal authority ("the transferor") agrees to transfer a landfill allowance to another waste disposal authority ("the transferee") the transferor must submit a transfer request to the monitoring authority before the end of the reconciliation period for the scheme year in which the agreement is made.

    (4) A transfer request must-

    (5) The monitoring authority is not required to consider a transfer request unless it is made in accordance with paragraph (4).

    (6) If the conditions in paragraph (8) are satisfied, the monitoring authority must-

    (7) If the conditions in paragraph (8) are not satisfied the monitoring authority must notify the transferor and transferee-

    (8) The conditions referred to in paragraphs (6) and (7) are that-

Suspension of banking, borrowing and transferring of landfill allowances
    
9.  - (1) The Scottish Ministers may suspend any or all waste disposal authorities from banking, borrowing and transferring landfill allowances if they consider-

    (2) The Scottish Ministers may suspend a waste disposal authority from banking, borrowing and transferring landfill allowances if they have reason to believe that-

    (3) If the Scottish Ministers suspend a waste disposal authority from banking, borrowing and transferring landfill allowances under paragraphs (1) or (2), at the same time they must notify the monitoring authority and the waste disposal authority of-

    (4) The Scottish Ministers may lift a suspension if in any case falling within-

    (5) If the Scottish Ministers lift a suspension under paragraph(4), at the same time they must notify the monitoring authority and any waste disposal authority which, as a consequence, is no longer suspended from banking borrowing and transferring landfill allowances of-

    (6) The effect of suspending a waste disposal authority from banking, borrowing and transferring landfill allowances is that no landfill allowances may be-

    (7) In paragraph (2)(b) "unauthorised person" means a person who is not authorised by a waste disposal authority to submit borrowing or transfer requests on the authority's behalf.



PART 3

Monitoring

Monitoring authority
    
10. SEPA is the monitoring authority for Scotland.

Obligation for waste disposal authorities to keep records and make returns
    
11.  - (1) A waste disposal authority must keep records containing the following information for each scheme year-

    (2) In relation to municipal waste mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) and (c) the records must contain details of-

    (3) The records under paragraph (1) must be kept for a period of 3 years beginning on the day after the day on which the reconciliation period for the scheme year ends.

    (4) A waste disposal authority must submit to the monitoring authority a return containing the information in paragraphs (1) and (2) for each 3 month period in a scheme year ending on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December within 3 months of the end of that period in such form and to such extent as specified by the monitoring authority.

    (5) The monitoring authority, or a person authorised in writing by the monitoring authority, may by notice require a waste disposal authority to-

and to do so in such form, at such reasonable place and within such reasonable time as is specified in the notice.

    (6) The monitoring authority, or a person authorised in writing by the monitoring authority, may make copies of any records produced or information or evidence supplied under paragraph (5).

Obligation for operators of landfills to keep records and make returns
    
12.  - (1) An operator of a landfill must, if required to do so by the monitoring authority, keep records containing the following information for each scheme year-

    (2) The records under paragraph (1) must be kept for a period of 3 years beginning on the day after the day on which the reconciliation period for the scheme year ends.

    (3) An operator of a landfill must, if requested to do so by the monitoring authority, submit to that authority a return in such form as is specified in the request containing the information in paragraph (1) for each scheme year within 3 months of the end of that scheme year.

    (4) The monitoring authority, or a person authorised in writing by the monitoring authority, may by notice require an operator of a landfill to produce for inspection or for removal for inspection elsewhere, records the operator is required to keep under paragraph (1), in such form, at such reasonable place and within such reasonable time as is specified in the notice.

    (5) The monitoring authority, or a person authorised in writing by the monitoring authority, may make copies of records produced under paragraph (4).

    (6) A person authorised in writing by the monitoring authority may enter at any reasonable time (and, if need be, by reasonable force) premises other than premises used as a dwelling, occupied by a person concerned in the operation of a landfill for the purposes of-

    (7) A person entering any premises under paragraph (6), may be accompanied by-

    (8) The power of the monitoring authority, or a person authorised by the monitoring authority, under paragraphs (5) to (7) includes power to require any person to afford to them such reasonable facilities and assistance-

as are necessary to enable the monitoring authority or an authorised person to exercise the power.

Determining the amount of biodegradable municipal waste in amounts of waste
    
13.  - (1) The provisions in this regulation apply for the purposes of-

    (2) For the purposes mentioned in paragraph (1) it must be assumed that-

    (3) In paragraph (2)-

Calculation of the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills
    
14.  - (1) No later than 5 months after the end of a scheme year, in relation to each waste disposal authority the monitoring authority must-

    (2) Paragraph (1) only applies where, in accordance with regulation 11(4), the waste disposal authority has submitted a return for each 3 month period in the scheme year.

    (3) In making the calculation referred to in paragraph (1)(a) the monitoring authority shall carry out the following steps-

    (4) The monitoring authority must round the amount calculated in accordance with paragraph (3) up to the nearest tonne.

Utilisation of landfill allowances
    
15.  - (1) As soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the reconciliation period the monitoring authority must reconcile the allowances available to each waste disposal authority with the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills by the waste disposal authority, as calculated under regulation 14(1)(a), by deeming allowances to have been utilised in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) Landfill allowances available to a waste disposal authority for the scheme year must be utilised in the following order-

    (3) Within each category in paragraph (2), allowances must be utilised according to the order of their vintage.

    (4) The monitoring authority must deem allowances to have been utilised until-



PART 4

Landfill Allowances Register

Landfill allowances register
    
16.  - (1) The monitoring authority must maintain a landfill allowances register.

    (2) In relation to each waste disposal authority the landfill allowances register must contain-

    (3) At the end of the reconciliation period for a scheme year the landfill allowances register must record for that scheme year the total price (if any) paid by waste disposal authorities for the transfer of landfill allowances to that scheme year.

Amendment of information on registers
    
17.  - (1) Where a relevant authority has reason to believe that any information on the landfill allowances register is incorrect, the authority may amend the register so as to correct that information.

    (2) Before a relevant authority amends a register under paragraph (1) it must-

    (3) Where a relevant authority amends a register under paragraph (1) it must notify any waste disposal authority which is affected by the amendment of the amendment which has been made.

Availability of register
    
18. A relevant authority must-



PART 5

Penalties

Penalties: exceeding allowances
    
19.  - (1) The penalty to which a waste disposal authority is liable under section 9(2) of the Act is the excess landfill for that waste disposal authority multiplied by:-

    (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) "excess landfill" means, for a scheme year, the amount in tonnes by which biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfills by the waste disposal authority, as calculated under regulation 14(1)(a), exceeds the landfill allowances available to the authority.

    (3) The supplementary penalty ("SP") to which a waste disposal authority is liable under section 9(3) of the Act is the greater of-

    (4) The supplementary penalty ("SP") to which a waste disposal authority is liable under section 9(4) of the Act is the greater of-

Penalties: failure to comply with requirements imposed by regulation 11
    
20. The penalty to which a waste disposal authority is liable under section 12(3) of the Act is £1000 for each requirement imposed on the authorities by regulation 11 with which the authority fails to comply.

Penalties: general
    
21.  - (1) Where a waste disposal authority is liable to a penalty, the Scottish Ministers may-

    (2) Before issuing a notification under paragraph (1)(b), the Scottish Ministers shall consult the waste disposal authority and have regard to any representations made by it.

    (3) The penalty is due one month after the date on which the waste disposal authority is notified by the Scottish Ministers under paragraph (1)(b) ("the due date").

    (4) Where a waste disposal authority does not pay a penalty in full by the due date, the waste disposal authority is liable to pay interest on any outstanding amount of the penalty for the period which-

    (5) Interest under this regulation shall be payable at a rate of one percentage point above LIBOR on a day to day basis.

    (6) Where an amount has been assessed and notified to a waste disposal authority under paragraph (1)(b), the amount and any interest incurred under paragraph (4) shall be recoverable by civil diligence.

    (7) In paragraph (5), "LIBOR" means the sterling three month London interbank offered rate in force during the period between-



PART 6

Guidance

Guidance to waste disposal authorities
    
22. A waste disposal authority, in exercising functions in relation to waste that is or contains biodegradable municipal waste, must have regard to any guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers under this regulation.


ROSS FINNIE
A member of the Scottish Executive

St Andrew's House, Edinburgh
16th March 2005



SCHEDULE
Regulation 13(2)(c)


Amount of biodegradable municipal waste in certain types of waste


In this Schedule-



EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)


These Regulations are made under the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 ("the Act") for the purpose of implementing Articles 5(1) and (2) of Council Directive 99/31/EC on the landfill of waste (O.J. No. L 182, 16.7.1999, p.1) in Scotland. They make provision for implementing Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Act (waste sent to landfills) including the landfill allowances scheme under that Part. The Regulations, apart from Regulation 8 (transfer of landfill allowances); (which comes into force on 1st April 2008) come into force on 1st April 2005.

Part 1 sets out the general provisions. Regulation 1 concerns the citation, commencement and extent of the Regulations and regulation 2 deals with interpretation. Regulation 3 is concerned with the giving and submission of various documents and provision is made for electronic communications and the use of websites. Regulation 4 also enables the use of electronic registers (for the purpose of regulation 16) and the provision of electronic forms.

Part 2 includes provisions on the allocation, banking, borrowing and transfer of landfill allowances. After the Scottish Ministers have made an allocation of landfill allowances under section 4 of the Act, regulation 5 requires the monitoring authority to assign reference numbers to those allowances and to allocate them to the landfill allowance accounts of waste disposal authorities.

Regulations 6 to 8 concern the banking, borrowing and transfer of landfill allowances. Subject to certain exceptions, landfill allowances which are not utilised in one scheme year are automatically banked to the next (regulation 6). Under regulations 7 and 8, requests must be submitted to the monitoring authority before landfill allowances can be borrowed or transferred. Provided the relevant conditions in regulations 7(9) and 8(8) are satisfied these requests will be accepted. Regulation 9 enables the Scottish Ministers to suspend waste disposal authorities from banking, borrowing and transferring landfill allowances in the circumstances specified in regulation 9(1) and (2).

Part 3 concerns the monitoring of the landfill allowances scheme. Regulation 10 provides that SEPA is the monitoring authority for Scotland, and consequently that authority is subject to the duties in section 10(2) of the Act. Regulation 14 requires the monitoring authority to calculate how much biodegradable municipal waste is sent to landfill by each waste disposal authority in a scheme year, and regulation 15 requires the monitoring authority to reconcile this amount with the waste disposal authority's allowances for that year. Assumptions about the amount of biodegradable municipal waste in amounts of waste apply in relation to specified functions of the monitoring authority (regulation 13 and the Schedule to the Regulations).

Regulations 11 and 12 impose obligations on waste disposal authorities and landfill operators respectively to keep specified records and make specified returns to the monitoring authority. The information in the returns is necessary to enable the monitoring authority to carry out its functions under the Act and the Regulations.

Part 4 contains provisions on the landfill allowances register. The monitoring authority must maintain that register (regulation 16), and either the Scottish Ministers or the monitoring authority may, subject to certain conditions, amend incorrect information on the register (regulation 17). Under regulation 18 the register must be made available for inspection by members of the public, who may also obtain copies of any entries on payment of a reasonable charge.

Part 5 contains provisions on penalties. Regulations 19 and 20 specify how penalties under sections 9 (failure to comply with duty not to exceed allowances) and 12(3) (failure to comply with requirements imposed under regulation 11 of these Regulations) of the Act are calculated. Regulation 21 makes provision for when penalties are due and for interest in the event of late payment.

Part 6 concerns guidance. Regulation 22 requires waste disposal authorities to have regard to any guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers in exercising functions in relation to biodegradable municipal waste.

A regulatory impact assessment in relation to these Regulations has been placed in the library of the Scottish Parliament. Copies can be obtained from the SEPA Sponsorship and Waste Unit, Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD), Victoria Quay, Leith, EH6 6QQ.


Notes:

[1] 2003 c.33. The relevant powers in sections 6, 7, 10 to 13, 15, 16 and 26 are expressed to be exercisable by the allocating authority. In relation to Scotland, the Scottish Ministers are an allocating authority under section 24(1) of the Act.back

[2] O.J. No. L 194, 25.7.1975, p.39, as amended by Council Directive 91/156/EEC (O.J. No. L 78, 26.3.1991, p.32), Council Directive 91/692/EEC (O.J. No. L 377, 31.12.1991, p.48) and Commission Decision 96/350/EC (O.J. No. L 135, 6.6.1996, p.32).back

[3] 2000 c.7.back

[4] O.J. No. L 377, 31.12.1991, p.20; as amended by Council Directive 94/31/EC (O.J. No. L 168, 2.7.1994, p.28) and Corrigendum to Directive 91/689/EC (O.J. L 23, 30.1.1998, p.39).back

[5] O.J. No. L 226, 6.9.2000, p.3; as amended by Commission Decisions 2001/118/EC (O.J. No. L 47, 16.2.2001, p.1), 2001/119/EC (O.J. No. L 47, 16.2.2001, p. 32) and Council Decision 2001/573/EC (O.J. No. L 203, 28.7.2001, p.18).back

[6] O.J. No. L 182, 16.7.1999, p.1.back

[7] The definition of "scheme year" in section 23(1) of the Act was amended by S.I. 2004/1936, regulation 2(2).back



ISBN 0 11 069505 4


 © Crown copyright 2005

Prepared 24 March 2005


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