Mercury Regulation

32017R0852 → 02017R0852-20221225

Article 13 Storage of mercury waste 1. By way of derogation from point (a) of Article 5(3) of Directive 1999/31/EC, mercury waste may be temporarily stored in liquid form provided that the specific requirements for the temporary storage of mercury waste as laid down in Annexes I, II and III to that Directive are complied with and that such storage occurs in above-ground facilities dedicated to and equipped for the temporary storage of mercury waste. The derogation set out in the first subparagraph shall cease to apply as from 1 January 2023. 2026. 2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 21 in order to amend this Regulation by extending the period allowed for temporary storage of mercury waste referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article by up to three years. 3. Prior to being permanently disposed of, mercury waste shall undergo conversion and, where intended to be disposed of in above-ground facilities, conversion and solidification. Mercury waste that underwent conversion and, if applicable, solidification shall only be permanently disposed of in the following permanent storage facilities licensed for disposal of hazardous waste: (a) salt mines that are adapted for the permanent storage of mercury waste that underwent conversion, or deep underground hard rock formations providing a level of safety and confinement equivalent to or higher than that of such salt mines; or (b) above-ground facilities dedicated to and equipped for the permanent storage of mercury waste that underwent conversion and solidification and that provide a level of safety and confinement equivalent to or higher than that of the facilities referred to in point (a). Operators of permanent storage facilities shall ensure that mercury waste that underwent conversion and, if applicable, solidification is stored separately from other waste and in disposal batches in a storage chamber that is sealed. Those operators shall further ensure that the requirements set out in Directive 1999/31/EC, including the specific requirements for the temporary storage of mercury waste established in the third and fifth indents of Section 8 of Annex I and in Annex II to that Directive, are complied with in relation to the permanent storage facilities.