For landfills to be operated in compliance with the relevant legislation, all landfills must be licenced and managed according to the conditions in the licence. These management practices must also be compliant with the Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill (DWAF, 1998), and subsequent regulations.

Licenses for the operation, closure or conversion of landfills, transfer stations and other waste management facilities usually require the  owner of such facilities to,  on a regular basis, obtain the services of an independent external auditor to conduct an independent compliance audit on such landfill, transfer station or other waste management facility.

ESS conducts independent compliance audits on landfills, transfer stations or other waste management facilities. These audits usually go beyond the conditions of the license alone and also considers compliance with other relevant legislation.