Waste not, burn not

The National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure states that “The recovery of energy from the combustion of waste, where in accordance with the waste hierarchy, will play an increasingly important role in meeting the UK’s energy needs. Where the waste burned is deemed renewable, this can also contribute to meeting the UK’s renewable energy targets.” (p10)

With the revised Waste Framework Directive now enshrining the primacy of ‘waste prevention’ in both policy and law, it is impossible to sustain any longer the always dubious notion that ‘waste’, of whatever ilk, could ever be considered a ‘renewable resource’. Producing energy from waste may be good policy for a range of other reasons, but not because waste is ‘renewable’

What is renewable?

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking wood or plastics – waste is not something anyone wants to generate. A renewable resource is generally considered as one which is replaced by natural processes, or replenished with time. The labelling of any form of waste as renewable flies in the face of the rather obvious fact that we’re all trying (or we should be) to eliminate it, not to keep replenishing it. One only needs to consider the perverse consequences of us seeking to meet ‘renewable energy targets’ by making sure we generate enough waste to ensure enough energy is generated to meet the same target.

It is very hard to see how a substantial amount of energy recovery can be achieved if the waste hierarchy is truly to be respected. It is even more difficult to understand how this could contribute to the process of decarbonising the electricity supply. The combustion of unrecycled waste typically leads to the emission of around half a tonne of CO2 from fossil derived materials for each tonne of waste combusted. The fossil-carbon intensity of electricity generated from waste combustion is generally similar to that of a conventional gas-fired power station. The NPS – by suggesting that such a source of energy has ‘an increasingly important role’ in meeting UK’s energy needs, seems ignorant of the fact that its widespread use would make decarbonising the electricity supply more, not less, difficult.

The overarching NPS states: “Only waste that cannot be re-used or recycled with less environmental impact and would otherwise go to landfill should be used for energy recovery.” (p29) If we do the right thing with waste, this will be an ever diminishing quantity. Hardly a renewable resource!