1. The operator of the incineration or co-incineration plant shall take all necessary precautions concerning the delivery and reception of waste in order to prevent or to limit as far as practicable negative effects on the environment, in particular the pollution of air, soil, surface water and groundwater as well as odours and noise, and direct risks to human health. These measures shall meet at least the requirements set out in paragraphs 3 and 4.
2. The operator shall determine the mass of each category of waste, if possible according to the EWC, prior to accepting the waste at the incineration or co-incineration plant.
3. Prior to accepting hazardous waste at the incineration or co-incineration plant, the operator shall have available information about the waste for the purpose of verifying, inter alia, compliance with the permit requirements specified in Article 4(5). This information shall cover:
(a) all the administrative information on the generating process contained in the documents mentioned in paragraph 4(a);
(b) the physical, and as far as practicable, chemical composition of the waste and all other information necessary to evaluate its suitability for the intended incineration process;
(c) the hazardous characteristics of the waste, the substances with which it cannot be mixed, and the precautions to be taken in handling the waste.
4. Prior to accepting hazardous waste at the incineration or co-incineration plant, at least the following reception procedures shall be carried out by the operator:
(a) the checking of those documents required by Directive 91/689/EEC and, where applicable, those required by Council Regulation (EEC) No 259/93 of 1 February 1993 on the supervision, and control of shipments of waste within, into and out of the European Community(23) and by dangerous-goods transport regulations;
(b) the taking of representative samples, unless inappropriate, e.g. for infectious clinical waste, as far as possible before unloading, to verify conformity with the information provided for in paragraph 3 by carrying out controls and to enable the competent authorities to identify the nature of the wastes treated. These samples shall be kept for at least one month after the incineration.
5. The competent authorities may grant exemptions from paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 for industrial plants and undertakings incinerating or co-incinerating only their own waste at the place of generation of the waste provided that the requirements of this Directive are met.