Uvek wants to amend waste, contaminated sites and hydraulic engineering ordinance
Published: Friday, May 24th 2024, 11:11
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The Department of the Environment wants to amend five ordinances on waste incineration plants, waste exports, remediation of contaminated sites, soil pollution and flood protection. On Friday, it submitted its proposals for consultation by September 24.
The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (Uvek) announced that the cantons would have to plan measures for the safe disposal of waste by waste incineration plants as a result of the amendment to the Waste Ordinance. This involves, for example, the securing of chemicals for operation.
In the Ordinance on the Movement of Waste, the Uvek specifies the restrictive list of waste that may be exported. Combustible waste must be disposed of in Switzerland, and now also plant waste from horticulture. Household waste collected for recycling may only be exported if it is disposed of abroad in an environmentally sound manner.
There are 38,000 contaminated sites in Switzerland, 4000 of which need to be remediated. In the revision of the Contaminated Sites Ordinance, the Uvek is adapting the limit values to new scientific findings, above which remediation must take place. This affects twelve pollutants, including arsenic, trichloroethene and ethylbenzene.
In the Ordinance on Soil Protection, the Uvek is updating the threshold values for mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), dioxins and furans. In addition, the cantons are to record suspected contaminated soils in maps so that these are not carried over during construction projects.
With the total revision of the Hydraulic Engineering Ordinance, the Federal Cantonal Department of Transport and Communications is clarifying the Hydraulic Engineering Act passed by Parliament in March. According to this, the protection of people and significant material assets from flooding must be risk-based. Around 20 percent of the population currently live in areas at risk of flooding.
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