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First accreditations in gas control and landfill inspections, as established in RD 646/2020

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28 June 2022 Industries

ENAC has recently accredited Labs & Technological Services AGQ and Consultoría de Técnicas Ambientales to carry out landfill gas controls, and Argano Asesores and Labs & Technological Services AGQ to carry out landfill inspections, according to the criteria respectively established in Annexes III and VII of Royal Decree 646/2020.

The aforementioned royal decree establishes the requirements aimed at guaranteeing an adequate disposal of the waste deposited in landfills and regulates their characteristics, and correct management and exploitation. It also states that a series of checks on waste, as well as landfill monitoring, inspection and control activities, must be carried out by inspection bodies accredited in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard by ENAC or by any national accreditation body of an EU Member State.

The activities to be carried out by these bodies are as follows:

  • Compliance inspection with the landfill acceptance criteria in accordance with Annex II of RD 646/2020 (basic characterization and waste compliance testing).
  • Control and surveillance in the operation and subsequent maintenance phases of the landfill (Annex III of RD 646/2020) in the following areas: surface water, groundwater, leachate, and gases.
  • Landfill Inspections (Annex VII of RD 646/2020) that may be carried out by collaborating bodies. Regarding this activity, the competent authorities will have the functions of surveillance, inspection, and control of correctly complying with the provisions of RD 646/2020. These functions, in accordance with the aforementioned Royal Decree and Law 7/2022, may be carried out with the support of collaborating bodies duly recognized in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard, without this implying that this replaces the administration in the full exercise of its functions.

ENAC has developed accreditation schemes for demonstrating these inspection bodies' technical competence, and the technical annexes have been modified to include the corresponding action areas.

For further information about these schemes, or if you are interested in applying for accreditation for any of the activities mentioned, contact Delia Gutiérrez, from ENAC's Environment Department.

 

ENAC's accreditation: supporting the Administration in waste management

One of the priority objectives of the current European legislation on waste is to ensure both human health and the environment are protected, requiring Member States to adopt specific measures to prioritise prevention, preparation for reuse, recycling, and energy recovery, as opposed to landfilling and incineration. However, while landfilling is one of the least desirable waste management options, it is essential for the controlled management of much of the waste we generate today.

Nationally, through the aforementioned RD 646/2020, the Public Administration once again demonstrates its confidence in ENAC's accreditation as a support tool to achieve its objectives in terms of public policies, in this case, in terms of waste management and environmental protection.


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