To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the registers held by the Environment Agency of reports on incinerator bottom ash for the purposes of determining whether its composition exceeds permitted levels for harmful substances. (256565)

[holding answer 12 February 2009]: Monitoring data on certain heavy metals, loss on ignition (the change in weight recorded when the ash is heated to a high temperature) and the total organic carbon in incinerator bottom ash is provided by the incinerator operators. This is placed upon the Environment Agency public registers. These data are checked by the Environment Agency upon receipt. Limits are set on loss on ignition/total organic carbon to ensure that the incinerator is operating efficiently. No breaches of these limits have been reported hence no enforcement action has been taken. Limits are not set on the heavy metal content of the ash as a permit condition. The operator is expected to carry out more detailed analysis before the ash can be disposed of.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consult (a) stakeholders, (b) experts and (c) other bodies on procedures for H14 ecotoxicity testing of incinerator bottom ash. (256566)

[holding answer 12 February 2009]: Incinerator bottom ash is not tested directly for ecotoxicity as this would involve unnecessary expense and unwarranted animal testing. Instead, chemical analysis is undertaken using standard methods and the ash is assessed for ecotoxicity by reference to the criteria for levels of dangerous substances given in the Environment Agency’s Technical Guidance WM2 “Hazardous waste: interpretation of the definition and classification of hazardous waste, 2nd edition, version 2.2”. The Environment Agency has been working with the Environmental Services Association to ensure that the procedures used to assess incinerator bottom ash are both robust and technically appropriate.