What’s the role of EfW in the race to net zero?

Historically, EfW was seen as a large scale, mass burn solution to divert waste from landfill, reducing the volume of waste by as much as 95%. A second benefit is the reduction of methane generated from landfill sites because of the diversion. Don’t forget that methane is reported to have 20 times the impact of C0² on global warming.

We must also realise that EfW encompasses much more than just the large “burners”.  Capturing landfill gas has long been a useful and productive way to reduce methane emissions and contribute power to the grid. AD facilities are great for managing food waste.  Pyrolysis can be useful in certain applications and bio-waste boilers are commonplace now.

The debate on whether EfW furthers net-zero and circular economy aims continues. Some say that EfW is necessary and has an important role to play in achieving net-zero and energy security, while others believe it’s hindering these efforts. 

As with most things circular, there are many complexities to take into consideration, which means there isn’t a single or simple answer. In this article we attempt to unpack some of the objections, challenges and opportunities presented by energy from waste, as we see them.

Why object to using waste to generate energy?

Whilst early EfW plants may have had pollution issues, modern EfW plants are extremely compliant and efficient. If you ever get the chance to visit one, and talk to the engineers, you’ll clearly understand how good these facilities are.  Why, then, do communities still object to these projects? Comparing energy recovery plants to landfill, it’s clear that EfW really should be a key component to a sustainable resource management program.  The wider energy recovery sector must form part of any sustainable resource management plan.

However, should we be burning waste, regardless of whether it’s recyclable waste or not? This objection is rooted in the fact that materials that could be recycled and recirculated within the economy are not being recovered and this has a negative impact on entrenching public habits to reduce waste and recycle more. There’s another side to this objection and that’s the sustainability of energy recovery when the long-term objective is to reduce waste. Differing views believe there is either too much or too little capacity. How can you convince the public what is right if we can’t decide for ourselves which direction we ought to be travelling?

Most will agree that the future of energy generation must rely primarily on renewables. Objectors to EfW say that building more plants diverts much needed investment and is delaying the transition to renewables.

Challenges in generating energy from waste

These narratives are now shaping circular economy policies and the EU is already restricting financing of EfW projects.  This is a challenge because EU goals include keeping waste to landfill below 10%. This is yet to be achieved and the gap is likely to remain for several years. What impact will Brexit have on our policies? If waste cannot be incinerated and used to generate energy or isn’t being recycled or turned into RDF/SRF, where will it go? While the end goal is to decrease landfill dependance, increase recycling rates, and, most importantly, start building reuse and recycling firmly into products, that is still a long way off and EfW provides what many believe is a viable interim solution.

Key opportunities in EfW in the UK

While progress is being made in recycling efforts and legislation is nudging manufacturers to standardise packaging materials, there is still a great deal of plastic packaging and products that are hard to recycle. Additionally, contaminated plastics often result in recycling inefficiencies. Using these types of plastics as feedstock for EfW plants is often seen as a viable solution. Indeed, some local authorities have instructed households to remove films from the recycling boxes, and place in the residual stream. The plastic bag tax also didn’t really help the recovery of contaminated plastics, leading to the mothballing of recovery facilities. What’s the real impact of the plastic bag tax? Give with one hand, take with the other.

However, there is still room for improvement, particularly when it comes to managing carbon and improving system efficiencies. With a growing need to move away from fossil fuels, EfW provides an alternate heating source for both residential and industrial applications. Integrating carbon capture and embedding at EfW plants can help them become carbon neutral. Joint ventures between large power users and resource management companies can lead to local, sustainable solutions. If you bundle an MBT facility, energy recover facility and an y industrial end user together then that’s clever planning.

The reality is that as much as we’d like to be living in a true circular economy, we’re still a long way off, generating far too much waste and unable to recycle a large portion of it. Modern engineering can design systems that reduce and eliminate pollutants, capture heat and carbon and improve overall efficiency. EfW may not be the ideal solution for waste, but it certainly has important role to play in bridging the gap until we can achieve circular economies.