1. Incineration plants shall be operated in order to achieve a level of incineration such that the slag and bottom ashes Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content is less than 3 % or their loss on ignition is less than 5 % of the dry weight of the material. If necessary appropriate techniques of waste pretreatment shall be used.
Incineration plants shall be designed, equipped, built and operated in such a way that the gas resulting from the process is raised, after the last injection of combustion air, in a controlled and homogeneous fashion and even under the most unfavourable conditions, to a temperature of 850 °C, as measured near the inner wall or at another representative point of the combustion chamber as authorised by the competent authority, for two seconds. If hazardous wastes with a content of more than 1 % of halogenated organic substances, expressed as chlorine, are incinerated, the temperature has to be raised to 1100 °C for at least two seconds.
Each line of the incineration plant shall be equipped with at least one auxiliary burner. This burner must be switched on automatically when the temperature of the combustion gases after the last injection of combustion air falls below 850 °C or 1100 °C as the case may be. It shall also be used during plant start-up and shut-down operations in order to ensure that the temperature of 850 °C or 1100 °C as the case may be is maintained at all times during these operations and as long as unburned waste is in the combustion chamber.
During start-up and shut-down or when the temperature of the combustion gas falls below 850 °C or 1100 °C as the case may be, the auxiliary burner shall not be fed with fuels which can cause higher emissions than those resulting from the burning of gasoil as defined in Article 1(1) of Council Directive 75/716/EEC, liquefied gas or natural gas.
2. Co-incineration plants shall be designed, equipped, built and operated in such a way that the gas resulting from the co-incineration of waste is raised in a controlled and homogeneous fashion and even under the most unfavourable conditions, to a temperature of 850 °C for two seconds. If hazardous wastes with a content of more than 1 % of halogenated organic substances, expressed as chlorine, are co-incinerated, the temperature has to be raised to 1100 °C.
3. Incineration and co-incineration plants shall have and operate an automatic system to prevent waste feed:
(a) at start-up, until the temperature of 850 °C or 1100 °C as the case may be or the temperature specified according to paragraph 4 has been reached;
(b) whenever the temperature of 850 °C or 1100 °C as the case may be or the temperature specified according to paragraph 4 is not maintained;
(c) whenever the continuous measurements required by this Directive show that any emission limit value is exceeded due to disturbances or failures of the purification devices.
4. Conditions different from those laid down in paragraph 1 and, as regards the temperature, paragraph 3 and specified in the permit for certain categories of waste or for certain thermal processes may be authorised by the competent authority, provided the requirements of this Directive are met. Member States may lay down rules governing these authorisations. The change of the operational conditions shall not cause more residues or residues with a higher content of organic pollutants compared to those residues which could be expected under the conditions laid down in paragraph 1.
Conditions different from those laid down in paragraph 2 and, as regards the temperature, paragraph 3 and specified in the permit for certain categories of waste or for certain thermal processes may be authorised by the competent authority, provided the requirements of this Directive are met. Member States may lay down rules governing these authorisations. Such authorisation shall be conditional upon at least the provisions for emission limit values set out in Annex V for total organic carbon and CO being complied with.
In the case of co-incineration of their own waste at the place of its production in existing bark boilers within the pulp and paper industry, such authorisation shall be conditional upon at least the provisions for emission limit values set out in Annex V for total organic carbon being complied with.
All operating conditions determined under this paragraph and the results of verifications made shall be communicated by the Member State to the Commission as part of the information provided in accordance with the reporting requirements.
5. Incineration and co-incineration plants shall be designed, equipped, built and operated in such a way as to prevent emissions into the air giving rise to significant ground-level air pollution; in particular, exhaust gases shall be discharged in a controlled fashion and in conformity with relevant Community air quality standards by means of a stack the height of which is calculated in such a way as to safeguard human health and the environment.
6. Any heat generated by the incineration or the co-incineration process shall be recovered as far as practicable.
7. Infectious clinical waste should be placed straight in the furnace, without first being mixed with other categories of waste and without direct handling.
8. The management of the incineration or the co-incineration plant shall be in the hands of a natural person who is competent to manage the plant.