Waste-to-Energy’s contribution to the “Long-term EU greenhouse gas emissions reductions strategy”

This position paper outlines the GHG emissions savings potential of Waste-to-Energy and lays down policy recommendations in the areas of waste, energy, climate, infrastructure and research and innovation to achieve this potential. For instance, it is explained how, with proper waste management in place, far more than 200 million tonnes of CO₂ eq can be avoided annually.

by ESWET and CEWEP

In light of the EU’s long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions strategy, the Waste-to-Energy sector would like to outline some key directions the EU should take in order to decarbonise waste management as well as the energy sector. Waste-to-Energy provides an environmentally sound and cost-effective way to treat residual waste. It is an important tool to safeguard true and environmentally sound recycling by taking care of materials which due to their consistency cannot or should not be recycled.

Waste-to-Energy plants also help materialise the effective landfill restrictions outlined in the Circular Economy Package, thereby contributing to limiting the use of land resources.

When looking at emissions performance in general, the sector has already complied with the most stringent environmental regulations for more than 10 years: sometimes the emissions are even at such low levels that it is difficult to measure them with the appropriate accuracy.

When looking at GHG emissions specifically, one can notice that emissions from waste management have shown a strong decrease, in particular thanks to the development of recycling and other recovery processes, including Waste-to-Energy. This has led to increased landfill diversion and a subsequent decrease in methane emissions.

However, much more is possible: with proper waste management in place far more than 200 million tonnes of CO₂ eq can be avoided annually.

About 60 million tonnes of municipal waste are still landfilled in Europe (Eurostat 2018, data of 2016), and almost 200 million tonnes considering all the waste streams (except mineral waste).

To divert these waste streams to Waste-to-Energy instead would prevent around 875 kg of CO₂eq/tonne.

Considering that a significant part of it could be also recycled, a total saving of more than 175 million tonnes of CO₂ eq (more than the annual CO₂emissions from fossil fuels of the Netherlands) could be achieved every year by shifting waste from landfilling to a higher treatment in the waste hierarchy.

Additionally, up to 50 million tonnes of emissions of CO₂ eq are avoided in Europe annually as Waste-to-Energy recovers about 39 TWh of electricity and 90 TWh of heat from waste, a strategic local recovered energy source, saving up to 50 million tonnes of imported fossil fuels that would have been used in conventional power plants. Waste-to-Energy plants can also supply efficient district heating and cooling to households and process steam to industries.

In cities where the infrastructure is in place, Waste-to-Energy covers 50% and more of the local heat demand. Moreover, half of this energy is renewable, as it comes from waste of biological origin, and therefore helps Member States to achieve the targets of the Renewable Energy Directive. The remaining half, although fossil, is recovered as a waste treatment service to society.

At the end of the combustion process metals such as iron, aluminium, copper and zinc can be recycled from the bottom ash, this way saving the greenhouse gas emissions (more than 3 million tonnes of CO₂ eq) that otherwise would have been emitted in the production process.

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published: ESWET and CEWEP, 11|2018
Keywords: Energy Recovery, EU

Dr. Ella Stengler
CEWEP Confederation of European Waste to Energy Plants