How does EfW fit with recycling?
In many cases, our plants provide a way of unlocking the energy in waste that cannot be recycled. This is an environmental improvement over burning scarce fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal . Energy generated from the biomass within residual household waste (i.e. that remaining after household kerbside recycling) is renewable (carbon neutral) and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions (to the extent that coal or oil is displaced and methane production from landfill is avoided). Waste minimisation and recycling are very important, but the fact is that together both of these approaches simply cannot solve our waste problems. Even by meeting the challenging recycling targets set by central government, the UK will still be left with c50 per cent of its waste needing an alternative form of disposal. EfW is a well-proven technology that can provide the opportunity to treat the waste left after recycling and release the energy value contained within the materials. It is the only realistic
