Article (9)
Waste Landfills Technical Requirements
First: Waste transferred to Landfill:
1. The following residual waste from the sorting or treatment processes is Landfilled in a
non-hazardous Landfill:
a. Construction and demolition waste;
b. municipal solid waste;
c. Agricultural waste;
d. Non-hazardous industrial waste;
e. Non-hazardous dry sludge resulting from wastewater treatment; and
f. Non-hazardous animal waste
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2. The following residual waste from the sorting or treatment processes is Landfilled in
hazardous Landfill:
a. hazardous industrial waste;
b. E-waste;
c. Medical waste;
d. Hazardous animal waste;
e. Hazardous dry sludge.
3. Bury the following waste shall be prohibited in all types of Landfills:
a. Recyclable waste, such as used vehicle tires;
b. Explosive or flammable waste, such as battery waste;
c. Untreated medical waste;
d. Non-dry sludge
Second: Technical Requirements for Sanitary Landfill:
1. The site designated for the construction of a new sanitary waste landfill shall meet the
following:
a. It shall be away from residential and recreational areas, waterway, urban agricultural
sites, hospitals, airports, and industrial areas, for a distance of no less than (5) five
kilometres, provided that the Competent Authority shall determine the buffer
distances (the distance between the landfill wall to the nearest area inhabited)
pursuant to an EIA study report that outlines the nature of the area, the technologies
to be used, and the potential environmental impacts;
b. It shall be at least (500) five hundred meters away from the groundwater basins;
c. It shall be away from coastal waters or natural and archaeological reserves, and shall
not harm any natural resources for a distance of no less than (2) two kilometres;
d. The weather conditions of the area, including the movement, speed and directions
of the winds and the flow of rainwater shall be known.
2. The following technical requirements shall be adhered to in the existing or new sanitary
Landfill:
a. Fence the Landfill to prevent indiscriminate disposal, entry of individuals and loose
animals, and take the necessary measures to control birds with a system of strict
control over it (surveillance cameras, guard gate, warning boards, identification
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boards for the Landfill site, types of waste received, working times, and a radiation
detector);
b. Create a belt (buffer zone) around the Landfill to ensure that the spread of volatile
materials from the site is reduced;
c. Pave the road to the site, provide adequate lighting, and construct internal roads at
the landfill for transporting waste vehicles after obtaining the necessary approvals
from the relevant Competent Authority;
d. Determine area near the entrance to the Landfill to check on the loads to ensure that
there is conformity with what was stated in the accompanying transport document,
with the installation of an electronic scale to record the weight and quantities of
waste and linking it with an electronic system to form an integrated network in order
to obtain an integrated database of waste;
e. Establish a waste sorting unit with the aim of separating recyclable materials, to
reduce the amount of buried waste, provided that the location of the unit, whether
inside or outside the Landfill, is determined in the EIA study;
f. Establish a compression unit, compress waste residues and convert them into cubes,
provided that the unit location is determined in the EIA study, or waste compression
is carried out in the Landfill Cells on a daily basis during the operational operations
of the Landfill to provide spaces in the Landfill area, with the exception of
construction and service Landfills;
g. Establish the mechanism and plans for draining rainwater and change the direction
of the torrents descending from the areas surrounding the Landfill, and having them
approved by the Competent Authority;
h. Establish a leachate collection network for drainage, treatment and sampling, with
the exception of construction and demolition waste landfills;
i. Set up a network to collect and manage gaseous emissions and benefit from them in
generating electric power whenever possible, in coordination with the Competent
Authority, with the exception of construction and demolition waste landfills;
j. Establish monitoring wells to monitor the quality of groundwater, ensure that no
polluting materials leak into the groundwater, and establish and update emergency
plans on a permanent basis to deal with the leakage;
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k. Establish air quality monitoring system;
l. Determine the Landfill capacity and the Landfill size of area through the daily
coverage of waste and its future expansion;
m. Preparing Standards for accepting the waste allowed to be disposed of in the Landfill
pursuant to the types mentioned and specified in this Resolution, and ensuring
separation, when landfilled whenever possible;
n. Commit to emergency requirements and crisis management in the design,
construction and operation phase; and
o. Any other requirements determined by the Competent Authority.
3. The treatment unit inside the existing and new Landfill requires the following:
a. Providing the means to control air emissions resulting from the treatment process;
b. Providing alternative and appropriate procedures for waste treatment in the event
of a malfunction; and
c. Provide the requirements for conducting the biological, chemical and physical tests
necessary to maintain the efficiency of the treatment process
4. Establishing a new Landfill in the following locations shall be prohibited:
a. Valleys, reefs and torrents;
b. Above groundwater basins close to the surface of the earth, or whose height is less
than sea level;
c. Historic areas and nature reserves;
d. Areas with geological structures (main faults) or seismically active areas;
e. Critical and sensitive natural habitats;
f. Any other areas determined by the Competent Authority
Third: The design of the Landfill Cells and the base isolation system in Landfills:
1. The area of the Landfill Cells shall be determined based on the topographical and hydro
geological assessment of the land.
2. The Landfill Cells consist of the following:
a. Insulating materials for lining the Landfill pit, provided that it is of the type (HDPE)
and with a thickness of not less than (2) two millimetres; and
b. The natural geological barrier and it is determined based on the geological and hydro
geological conditions of the Landfill area to prevent any possible leakage. If natural
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geological barrier is unavailable, a double layer system can be made for the base of
the Landfill Cells as follows:
1. The first layer consists of natural products (a layer of clay or the use of betonies
with slaked lime);
2. The second layer consists of synthetic products (HDPE);
3. Double layer system, at the base of the hazardous waste Landfill Cells
Fourth: Requirements for environmental monitoring and management of the existing
and new Landfill:
1. The Competent Authority or the Concerned Entity, as the case may be, for the
environmental management of the Landfill, shall comply with the following:
a. Preparing a record containing all the data related to the Landfill, and updating it
periodically, and it shall include the following:
1. The type and quantity of waste used;
2. The results of the examination and analyse of leachate;
3. Plans for contingency, evacuation and business continuity;
4. Studying risks and improvement plans in case of complaints in the area; and
5. Technical and vocational training programmes for Landfill workers, with all
proof documents.
a. Providing a trained, equipped and qualified staff commensurate with the
needs and operation of the Landfill, provided that one of them is a health,
safety and environment officer, and taking all necessary measures to ensure
their health and safety.
b. Develop guiding regulations inside the Landfill for workers and the
movement of machinery.
c. Visual inspection and examination through the radioactive detector of the
received waste, to ensure that the transport document matches the waste
and that there are no radioactive materials in the waste to be buried in the
Landfill.
d. Develop an integrated environmental management plan, for example:
monitoring the air environment, odour-generating elements, and sound
mechanisms for dealing with waste in landfills.
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e. Make air quality measurements based on the monitoring plan approved in
the EIA study, provided that they are in more than one location inside the
Landfill.
f. Follow integrated pest management practices in the Landfill.
g. Take the necessary measures to provide purification installations for waste
vehicles before they leave the Landfill, whenever possible.
b. Any other requirements determined by the Competent Authority.
2. The Competent Authority or the Concerned Entity, as the case may be, for monitoring
groundwater, shall comply with the following:
a. Determining the sampling sites that represent the quality of groundwater near the
Landfill site, and determining the periodicity of sampling based on the monitoring
plan approved in the EIA Study; and
b. Conduct periodic analyses and measurements in laboratories accredited by the
Competent Authority to ensure that waste does not affect the quality of groundwater
in the area surrounding the Landfill.
Fifth: The Landfill Closure:
The Competent Authority or the Concerned Entity, as the case may be, shall close the
existing Landfill based on the EIA study and in accordance with the closure plan approved
by the Competent Authority, while ensuring that waste is not detected and rainwater leaks
into the buried waste.
Sixth: The stage following the Landfill Closure:
The Competent Authority or the Concerned Entity, as the case may be, shall implement the
landfill post-closing plan approved by the Competent Authority, and shall comply with the
following:
1. Stop burying any kind of waste in the Landfill;
2. Verify the type and quantity of gases generated in the Landfill, and work to withdraw
and remove them in a sustainable manner, and reduce the transfer of these gases to the
surrounding air, or use them in electrical power generation whenever possible;
3. Sustainable collection and treatment of leachate;
4. Take all appropriate measures to limit or prevent the leakage of odours emitted from the
site to the neighbouring areas;
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5. Green belt work to curb the spread of odours and air pollutants;
6. Clean the surfaces of the sites from all kinds of randomly landfilled waste;
7. Cover the surfaces of the sites after cleaning and levelling them; and
8. Landfill levelling to prevent random disposal
Seventh: Rehabilitation of the Landfill:
1. The Competent Authority or the Concerned Entity, as the case may be, shall restore the
unsanitary Landfill that does not meet the requirements, within a period not exceeding
(8) eight years as a maximum; and
2. In the event that the Landfill is not restored within the period specified in the above
Paragraph, the Landfill shall be closed by the Ministry in coordination with the
Competent Authority. The Competent Authority, or the Concerned Entity, as the case
may be, shall bear all the costs of closure and restoration of the lands.
