The way how aftercare of landfill sites in The Netherlands will be secured, differs from other countries in Europe and the rest of the world. The Dutch government decided to introduce a policy to cover aftercare not for a period of 30 years, but everlasting aftercare. The policy is based on the transfer of the aftercare responsibility from the landfill operator to the regional authority, after the final cover has been installed (formal landfill closure). The landfill operator is obliged to prepare an aftercare plan, which is being used for the aftercare budget. During the operation period the landfill operator contributes to the aftercare fund for its landfill site, which will be handed over after formal closure.
Services and experiences include:
- Preparation of after care programmes;
- preparation of revised national aftercare programme checklists for the association of Dutch provinces (IPO), including municipal solid waste landfills and dredging sludge disposal sites;
- Studies and advice on takeover of the aftercare responsibility of several landfills (municipal waste and hazardous waste) for some provinces in the Netherlands. Aftercare include top covers with leakage detection systems;
- Implementation of a risk assessment model (based on a probabilistic approach) for the after care of existing landfills in The Netherlands, as part of the checklist for after care programmes.