All policies / Waste / IRL_P0024
Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC)
Instrument affecting the Waste sector, using a practice regulation mechanism; in force since 1999.
About this policy
The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) is a European Union directive that addresses the management and disposal of waste in landfills. The directive aims to reduce the environmental impact of landfills by establishing stringent criteria for the operation, design, and aftercare of landfill sites. It encourages the reduction of waste generation, promotes waste recycling and recovery, and sets targets for the reduction of biodegradable waste sent to landfills.
Key milestones
- 1999EU Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC sets targets for diverting biodegradable municipal waste from landfill.
- 2002National landfill levy introduced, later increased in stages.
Contextual milestones compiled from official sources. They are not used in the index.
About this type of instrument: regulation of practices and activities
Some emissions come from many scattered farm or waste processes, or from long-lived investments. Here, setting rules on practices can be easier to monitor and enforce than pricing each tonne.
- Directly targets the emitting process
- Relatively easy to verify compliance
- Addresses non-CO₂ gases that are hard to price
- Limited flexibility in how abatement is achieved
- Enforcement over many small actors is resource-intensive
- Supply-side restrictions may shift rather than reduce emissions
Measurement in this dataset. Agriculture and waste practices have no direct OECD stringency indicator, so implementation uses assumed timing. Licensing restrictions use the OECD fossil-fuel extraction ban indicator. Bindingness is scored 1.0 (mandatory rule).
Year by year
Filled markers use a matched OECD score; hollow markers use assumed timing. Shaded bands show the policy's status. Select a year on the chart or the slider to see how its intensity is built up.
Source records in the EEA registry
All EEA records linked to this policy. Records under the "with additional measures" scenario describe planned extensions; they are retained for traceability but are not treated as historical policy.
| PaM | Name as reported | Status | Scenario | Period | Ex-post kt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) | Implemented | With existing measures | 1999 | 688 |
Data-quality notes
Methodological notes recorded for this series, grouped by theme.
Timing assumptions
- Implementation in some years follows an assumed ramp-up because no matching OECD score is available.
- The policy has no reported end date; its status after the reporting date is reconstructed as continuing.
Scoring conventions
- Bindingness is a normative score from the study rubric, not a measure of observed compliance.
- Coverage is an ordinal scope score, not a measured share of activity or emissions.
Selection context
- Policies were selected using recent (2024–2030) assessments, which can introduce retrospective selection bias.
Sources
- European Environment Agency. Reporting on national policies and measures, Ireland (report 1849), PaM 24. https://pam.apps.eea.europa.eu/