Chapter 5 Final Disposal of Industrial Waste
Article 30
The final disposal of industrial waste shall be performed employing one of following methods:
I. Stabilized landfilling method
II. Sanitary landfilling method
III. Sealed landfilling method
IV. Marine dumping
Liquid wastes not regulated by the Water Pollution Control Act may not be directly disposed of by landfilling without the approval of the central competent authority. Incompatible industrial wastes may not be landfilled together.
Article 31
Those types of industrial waste determined by the central competent authority and central industry competent authority as suitable for reuse in conformity to the sustainable use of resources may not be subjected to final disposal by any method other than reuse.
Article 32
Glass fragments, ceramic fragments, natural stone waste chips (pieces), waste casting sand, stone dewatered sludge, cement pieces, waste bricks and tiles, and general industrial waste officially announced by the central competent authority shall be disposed of using the stabilized landfill method. Relevant facilities shall comply with the following regulations:
I. A sign shall be erected at the entrance, and shall indicate the waste type, the use deadline, and the manager.
II. Landfills shall have a surrounding wall or other barrier.
III. Preventive measures shall be taken when there is concern of landslip or ground subsidence.
IV. Water and soil conservation measures shall be adopted in accordance with waste characteristics and the landfill topography and geology.
V. Measures shall be taken to prevent airborne dispersal of waste.
VI. Other items officially announced by the central competent authority.
Article 33
Stabilized landfills whose use has ended shall be covered with a layer of sandy or argillaceous clay at least 50 centimeters in thickness.
Article 34
When general industrial waste requiring no intermediate treatment is disposed of by sanitary landfilling, relevant facilities shall comply with the following regulations in addition to the requirements of Article 32, Subparagraphs 2 through 6:
I. A sign shall be erected at the entrance, and shall indicate the manager’s name, type of landfilled waste, the geographical location, scope, and depth of the landfill area, and the ultimate landfill height.
II. Waste gas treatment facilities shall be established when organic waste is landfilled at a facility.
III. The bottom layer and periphery of a landfill shall have a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-7 centimeters/second, and shall be compatible with the waste and its leachate. This layer shall have a foundation of sandy or argillaceous clay or an equivalent material at least 60 centimeters in thickness, and shall have a lining of artificial water-impermeable materials that have a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-10 centimeters/second. The bottom layer and periphery of a landfill shall be compatible with the waste and its leachate, and are of a thickness of at least 0.2 centimeters.
IV. There shall be facilities to collect and treat leachate.
V. At least one monitoring well shall be established respectively upstream and downstream of a landfill relative to the direction of groundwater flow.
VI. Except when the items landfilled are noncombustible, fire extinguishers or other effective fire fighting equipment shall be established.
VII. Other items officially announced by the central competent authority.
General industrial waste subjected to intermediate treatment and hazardous industrial waste subjected to intermediate treatment and designated general industrial waste by the special municipality, county or city competent authority are subject to the regulations of the foregoing paragraph.
Subparagraph 3 of Paragraph 1 shall not apply to sanitary landfills established after the implementation of the amendment to these Standards on February 22, 2021. The bottom layer and periphery of a landfill shall have a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-7 centimeters/second, and shall be compatible with the waste and its leachate. This layer shall have a foundation of sandy or argillaceous clay or an equivalent material at least 60 centimeters in thickness, and shall have a lining of artificial water-impermeable materials that have a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-10 centimeters/second. The bottom layer and periphery of a landfill shall be compatible with the waste and its leachate, and are of a thickness of at least 0.2 centimeters.
Article 35
The earth cover and monitoring of sanitary landfills shall comply with the following requirements:
I. Sanitary landfills shall be covered with at least 15 centimeters in thickness, and shall also be compressed; when the use of a sanitary landfill has ended, it shall be covered with a layer of sandy or argillaceous clay at least 50 centimeters in thickness.
II. The water quality in the groundwater monitoring wells at the upper and lower courses shall be examined quarterly, with examination items covering arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc.
When the monitoring results of Subparagraph 2 in the foregoing paragraph are below the groundwater pollution control standards but reach the groundwater pollution monitoring standards, the entity shall propose the countermeasures within one month after receiving the monitoring results and implement such countermeasures after acquiring the approval of the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of targeted business.
Article 36
A stabilized landfill or sanitary landfill may be covered using other effective methods or may not be required to be covered every day after an application is made to the special municipality, county or city competent authority and approval received.
Article 37
Those disposing of industrial waste in sanitary landfills must comply with the Control Standards Governing the Entry of Waste Into Sanitary Landfills before proceeding with sanitary landfilling.
The central competent authority shall respectively determine the Control Standards Governing the Entry of Waste Into Sanitary Landfills of the foregoing paragraph based on industry, manufacturing process, waste type, disposal method, and hazardous substance control item.
Article 38
When hazardous industrial waste shall be disposed of by sealed landfilling, relevant facilities shall comply with the following regulations in addition to the requirements of Article 32, Subparagraphs 2 to 6 and Article 34, Paragraph 1, Subparagraphs 1, 4, and 5:
I. Landfills shall have anti-compression and anti-vibration facilities.
II. Landfills shall establish entrance roads with a width of at least 5 meters.
III. Landfills shall have facilities to prevent the inflow or infiltration of surface water, rainwater, and groundwater.
IV. Landfills' peripheral and base facilities shall be constructed of concrete with a uniaxial compressive strength of 245 kilograms per square centimeter or other materials possessing the same grade of sealing ability.
V. A landfill area exceeding 50 square meters or other materials possessing the same grade of sealing ability.
VI. Anti-corrosion and anti-leak measures shall be taken on the basis of the hazardous industrial waste type and characteristics and landfill soil characteristics.
VII. A landfill's bottom layer shall have a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-7 centimeters/second and be compatible with the waste material and leachate thereof, have a foundation comprised of sandy or argillaceous clay or other equivalent material 60 centimeters thick, and impermeable material with a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-10 centimeters/second that is compatible with the waste material and leachate thereof and 0.2 centimenters or more in thickness as a landfill liner.
VIII. There shall be facilities to collect and treat leachate.
IX. Other items officially announced by the central competent authority.
Sealed landfills that establish the following three contiguous layered facilities shall not be subject to the restrictions of Subparagraphs 4, 5, and 7 of the foregoing paragraph:
I. A landfill's bottom layer and peripheral facilities shall be comprised of a layer of clay 90 centimeters thick and with a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-7 centimeters/second, which is then covered with a double layer of artificial impermeable material 0.076 centimeters or more in thickness.
II. The middle layer shall be covered with fine sand, crushed stone or other materials of equivalent grade with a water permeability coefficient of 10-2 centimeters/second and thickness of 30 centimeters or more and have installed leachate detection and collection equipment and then covered with a layer of clay with a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-7 centimeters/second and 30 centimeters in thickness.
III. The upper layer shall be covered with fine sand, gravel, or other materials of equivalent grade with a water permeability coefficient of less than 10-2 centimeters/second and thickness of 30 centimeters or more and have installed leachate detection and collection equipment and then covered with a 30- centimeter layer of sandy or argillaceous clay.
Article 39
The earth cover and monitoring of sealed landfills shall comply with the following requirements:
I. Landfills whose use has ended shall be first covered with a 15-centimer layer of sandy or argillaceous clay. They shall then be covered with an artificial impermeable material with a water impermeability coefficient of less than 10-10 centimeters/second and 0.2 centimeters or more in thickness and again covered with a layer of sandy or argillaceous clay 60 centimeters or more in thickness, which is then compressed.
II. The water quality in the groundwater monitoring wells at the upper and lower courses shall be examined quarterly, with examination items covering arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc.
When the monitoring results of Subparagraph 2 in the foregoing paragraph are below the groundwater pollution control standards but reach the groundwater pollution monitoring standards, the entity shall propose the countermeasures within one month after receiving the monitoring results and implement such countermeasures after acquiring the approval of the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of targeted business.
Closed landfills shall not be used as construction sites or other working areas.
Article 40
The disposal of industrial waste by marine dumping shall comply with the regulations of the Marine Pollution Control Act.
Article 41
When solidified matter resulting from solidification is disposed of by sanitary landfilling, such matter shall have a uniaxial compressive strength of at least 10 kilograms per square centimeter.
When hazardous industrial waste is treated by solidification, stabilization or other treatment methods officially announced by the central competent authority, it shall be disposed of by sealed landfilling or sanitary landfilling. Sanitary landfilling shall shall comply with the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) Leaching Standards in Table 4 of the Standards for Defining Hazardous Industrial Waste in addition to the requirements of Article 37 and shall also be subject to independent landfill management by area.
An application shall be made pursuant to relevant reuse regulations if the waste in the two foregoing paragraphs is to be reused.
Article 41-1
After closing (shutting down) a landfill, proceed with restoration with respect to the post-closure restoration plan in the approval document.
The contents of the said post-closure restoration plan shall include:
I. Basic information:
A. The name; type; opening and closing dates; the filling area and depth; types and quantity list of filled waste of the landfill.
B. The ownership deed, cadastral data, and land catalog of the landfill.
C. The fundamental structure of the landfill, including at least the layout, elevation, sectional drawings, and structural drawings.
II. Restoration items after landfill closure:
A. Final cover.
B. Drainage works.
C. Vegetation restoration.
III. Periodic tour inspection and facility maintenance planning.
IV. Categories, items, methods, and frequencies of environmental monitoring.
V. Emergency response plan.
After measuring the landfill's management needs, the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of targeted business may adjust the contents of the post-closure restoration plan regardless of the said limitations.
With respect to Paragraph 1, the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of targeted business may request the landfill constructor to review the post-closure restoration plan where necessary. After the transfer of landfill operations, the transferee shall review the plan.
Within one year after the next day of the completion of the final disposal of the last batch of waste, the landfill shall complete the post-closure restoration according to the approved plan. Where an extension is required, the landfill shall apply for an extension, for one time only, within two months before plan expiration. The maximum length of extension shall be one year.
Article 41-2
The categories of environmental monitoring of a landfill’s closure restoration plan shall cover water quality in the groundwater monitoring wells at the upper and lower courses, with examination items covering arsenic, cadmium, chromium copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc. The examination shall be conducted once every half a year.
When the monitoring results of the foregoing paragraph are below the groundwater pollution control standards but reach the groundwater pollution monitoring standards, the entity shall propose the countermeasures within one month after receiving the monitoring results and implement such countermeasures after acquiring the approval of the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business.
The post-closure environmental monitoring stated in Paragraph 1 shall be implemented for at least 7 years. If the results of the continuous monitoring in the last two years comply with the following requirements, the landfill may terminate environmental monitoring with the approval of the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business:
I. The intensity of pollutants diffused from the untreated leachate of the landfill is below the effluent standard, except when no leachate is detected as confirmed by the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business.
II. The intensity of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc in the groundwater is below the groundwater pollution monitoring standard.
III. Other matters specified by the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of targeted business.
Article 41-3
When applying for building a landfill for disposing or treatment of industrial waste after the implementation of the amendment to these Standards on February 22, 2021, entities shall also submit a post-closure restoration plan to apply for approval to the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business.
Landfills not closed before the implementation of the amendment to these Standards on February 22, 2021 shall submit a post-closure restoration plan within one year after the implementation of the amendment to these Standards on February 22, 2021 to apply for approval to the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business.
Article 41-4
For landfills already closed before the implementation of the amendment to these Standards on February 22, 2021, when the results of environmental monitoring are below the groundwater pollution control standards but reach the groundwater pollution monitoring standards as confirmed by the competent authorities, the entity shall propose the countermeasures within one month after receiving the monitoring results and implement such countermeasures after acquiring the approval of the competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business.
After completing improvements as per the countermeasures stated in the preceding paragraph, the entity shall submit related documents of proof to apply for approval to the original competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business.
Article 41-5
Records shall be maintained for the status of monitoring stated in Article 35, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2; Article 39, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2; and Article 41-2, Paragraph 1, and retained for a term of five years. In addition, entities shall register the environmental monitoring results on the government website by the end of the following month.
The competent authorities of permit issuance or the competent authorities of the targeted business may disclose the environmental monitoring results in the preceding paragraph.