The waste management sector has hit back at a Scottish report which warned about potential emissions and carbon issues around energy from waste plants, calling it ‘unfair’.
SESA, the Scottish branch of the waste management trade body, the Environment Services Association, issued a strongly worded statement in wake of the report published yesterday (5 October).
The report, “The climate change impact of burning municipal waste in Scotland”, for Zero Waste Scotland, was funded by the Scottish Government and the European Union and published on 3 October 2020.
Stephen Freeland is policy advisor for the ESA
It reasons that energy from waste can no longer be considered a “low carbon technology” in the UK, largely because electricity generation is becoming more decarbonised (see letsrecycle.com story).
And, it warned that a slightly higher plastic content of residual waste could mean energy from waste plants having emissions higher than landfill.
‘Unfair’
SESA responded to the report, claiming it draws a “fundamentally unfair” comparison between energy recovery infrastructure and other sources of low-carbon energy generation.
The association added that it is concerned that the reports “advocated” maintaining Scotland’s current landfill rates, and the use of Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) to treat residual waste over energy recovery.
SESA said that this is “a seemingly retrograde step at odds with more than a decade of waste policy development”.
‘Deeply surprised’
SESA policy advisor, Stephen Freeland, said that despite the report “usefully” pointing out that EfW delivers carbon savings and confirms potential for more, the association is “deeply surprised” by what he described as the report’s suggestion of “maintaining current landfill rates as the best option”.
Millerhill Recycling & Energy Recovery Centre was one of the six facilities studied in the report
“The resources and waste management industry continues to make considerable investment in Scotland’s recycling capacity while at the same time investing in alternative residual waste treatment options, essential for diverting waste from landfill in compliance with Scotland’s 2025 landfill ban. Zero Waste Scotland’s research usefully points to the fact that EfW delivers carbon savings over disposal of waste in landfill,” Mr Freeland said.
He added: “The research also confirms the potential for greater carbon savings and efficiencies through the deployment of Combined Heat and Power (CHP). All EfW plants in Scotland are designed to be CHP-ready and operators actively explore options to connect with heat customers. Public policy could assist in this regard by helping to secure delivery in off-site heat infrastructure (such as local heat pipe networks or connections to heat customer premises) and ensuring that EfW-CHP is better integrated into the built environment.”
Circular economy
However, the view from SESA appears to be at odds with the view of others in Scotland in light of the report. Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, told letsrecycle.com: “While energy from waste may have been ‘low carbon’ in previous decades when Scotland, and the UK, had a much more carbon intensive energy system, rapid and continuing decarbonisation has changed the equation. Our study shows that energy from waste can no longer be consider a source of ‘low carbon energy’ in the UK, and especially not in Scotland, which has one of the world’s lowest carbon electricity systems.”
Zero Waste Scotland’s chief executive Iain Gulland emphasised a need to reduce, recycle and reuse
Mr Gulland added: “Our study does show that energy recovery remains slightly preferable to landfill under current conditions, but this is highly sensitive to relatively small changes in waste composition. The challenge as always, is to continually look to reduce waste as much as possible, recycle and reuse as much of what remains consistent with a shift to a circular economy thus negating any need for unsustainable disposal regardless of technology.”
Landfill
The report yesterday explained that average EfW impacts were 15% lower than landfill in 2018, but stated that if the proportion of plastic in residual municipal waste increases from 15% to 17%, greenhouse emissions per tonne for incinerators rises to the same level as landfill.
It also said land use management and land, air and water pollution other than those contributing to climate change must also be considered when comparing EfW and landfill going forward.
The report also said technologies such as Mechanical Biological Treatment and CHP suggests there are a “range of technology solutions which could be used together to minimise climate change impacts from waste”.
“We are deeply surprised by the recommendation that the best option for Scotland’s residual waste is to maintain current rates of landfill”
Mr Freeland added: “We are deeply surprised by the recommendation that the best option for Scotland’s residual waste is to maintain current rates of landfill, and subject residual waste firstly to an MBT process. Experience elsewhere tends to point to the limitations of Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), while its outputs would likely be challenged to meet the stringent respiration thresholds of Scotland’s 2025 landfill ban. The ZWS report is also strangely at odds with Scottish Government policy which is rightly aimed at diverting waste from landfill.
“The alternative to EfW is not wind power but landfill, and therefore an unfair comparison in considering the low carbon merits of EfW. However, the industry is fully committed to net zero carbon and ESA is developing a carbon strategy to help demonstrate where emissions in the waste sector can be reduced, including EfW.”
Related link
‘The climate change impacts of burning municipal waste in Scotland’ Report.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
