ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the general background of ground contamination, cost implications of current legislation and the various remedial measures, and presents helpful guidance on cost of Land Remediation. In July 1999 new contaminated land provisions, contained in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 were introduced. Under the Act action to remediate land is required only where there are unacceptable actual or 'significant possibility of significant harm' to health, controlled waters or the environment. The Landfill Regulations 2002 came into force on 15 June 2002 followed by Amendments in 2004 and 2005. These new regulations implement the Landfill Directive, which aims to prevent, or to reduce as far as possible, the negative environmental effects of landfill. Although most landfills are reluctant to commit to future tipping prices, tipping costs have generally stabilized. However, there are significant geographical variances, with landfill tip costs in the North of England typically being less than their counterparts in Southern regions.
