A study published by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) has found that waste incineration to produce energy would not be a suitable solution for the dependency on fossil gas, especially that which comes from Russia.
The report, ‘Incineration: What’s the effect on gas consumption?’, found that waste incineration only currently displaces around 1.1 per cent of the EU consumption of Russian gas.
This, the authors argue, disproves current claims by the waste management industry that incineration and co-incineration could be increased to help reduce EU dependency on Russian gas.
The study compared different scenarios of avoided gas use and found that even in the unlikely case that all energy being generated through waste incineration is utilised, still only 3.7 per cent of current gas consumption would be displaced.
A further issue identified by the study is the capacity to build new facilities. Given the permitting and construction time, the number of facilities needed to match potential consumption of waste is unlikely to be achieved to effectively offset the shortfall in gas supply.
The authors note another weakness with current claims about the role waste incineration can play in bridging the energy shortfall is that they exaggerate the potential displacement of fossil fuels. An example is the comparison of energy generated by incinerators to coal, one of the most carbon-intense sources of energy.
ZWE has called for authorities at all levels to prioritise investments that help to decarbonise energy and waste, instead of ‘expanding facilities which are already the most carbon-intensive energy sources in some countries’. It believes the focus should be on reducing consumption and increasing recycling rates.
Janek Vähk, ZWE’s Climate, Energy, and Air Pollution Programme Coordinator, said: “Member states need to be cautious about the industry claims of the potential benefits of waste incineration to minimise our external energy dependency.
“Waste incinerators are too ineffectual and inconsequential to help with the energy crisis even in the best-case scenario,"
Dominic Hogg, Director of Equanimator which commissioned the study, added: “The amount of gas displaced by existing incineration facilities is difficult to estimate, but we consider the effect on gas used to be equivalent to around 1.1 per cent of current gas consumption.
“The case for new, additional facilities is weak, especially if they are required to sort plastics from leftover mixed waste, as we believe they should be.
“In any event, making a decision to build an incinerator based on a crisis in energy markets would be a mistake, given the lead time in construction, and expected lifetime. Better to address energy and climate crises in a manner consistent with long-term objectives".
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