EUROPEAN SUPPLIERS

OF WASTE-TO-ENERGY
TECHNOLOGY

WASTE-TO-ENERGY

2050
CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

WWW.ESWET.EU
2050
OUR MISSION
Waste-to-Energy serves the society by treating
non-recyclable waste, saving resources and
protecting the environment.

OUR VISION
Modern plants integrated with community services
will be able to treat non-recyclable waste in a
sustainable way, generating renewable energy and
recovering materials, supporting a low-carbon circular
economy.
CONTENTS
Executive summary 4

1) Waste generation and waste management: 6

projections for 2050

2) How to solve global waste challenges? 12

2.1) Waste-to-Energy: closing the loop with energy 16

and material recovery

2.2) Waste-to-Energy: a global carbon sink for 18

the waste sector

3) The future of Waste-to-Energy plants 20

4) Policy recommendations 24

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Waste management is a crucial topic for the sustainable development of our
society. Globally, waste generation is expected to grow by roughly 60% by
4 2050. That’s why the acknowledgement and cooperation of all parties involved
– politics, research, technology providers, plant operators, policy makers and
civil society – is essential towards the common good for the environment.

Thanks to advanced technologies, waste Waste-to-Energy plants transform this waste into
management is turning into an integrated waste energy which is used for electricity generation,
and resource management logic, thus reducing the for heating and cooling and for various industrial
exploitation of materials through recycling and applications – among others to produce hydrogen.
transforming non-recyclable waste into a valuable
resource for the whole society. To implement this Half of the energy recovered is renewable as it
change, the phasing out of polluting dumpsites is comes from waste of biogenic origin. Moreover,
the first objective that should be pursued. contrary to variable renewable energy production
(such as wind or solar energy), renewable energy
Our Vision demonstrates how Waste-to-Energy from Waste-to-Energy is plannable and reliable.
technologies produced by European suppliers
are profoundly committed to resource efficiency On top of this, Waste-to-Energy recovers
and climate change mitigation and are ready to secondary raw materials which are used in a
contribute to better waste management in the variety of sectors such as construction, metal
EU and on a global scale. It shows how, by 2050, recycling or strategic applications such as battery
Waste-to-Energy plants will contribute to low manufacturing.
carbon energy systems and circular societies and
the policy and regulatory milestones needed to get By combining the effects of landfill diversion,
there. energy efficient processes and improved materials
recovery, Waste-to-Energy is a considerable sink
Waste-to-Energy technologies treat residual for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
waste: waste which is not fit for re-use or recycling
and would otherwise be landfilled. For example,
contaminated biomass such as wood treated with
wood preservatives.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste-to-Energy plants will allow to feed more The European Union has the capacity to further
renewable energy into the system which will be progress and to expand the EU excellence in waste
used, e.g. in the form of hydrogen, to decarbonise management well beyond its borders. This is why 5
other sectors. forthcoming policies should acknowledge this
potential by:
The future of Waste-to-Energy is circular, fully
sustainable and widespread globally: hydrogen- • Promoting the waste hierarchy as the enabler
fuelled trucks will bring residual waste to the plant; of sound waste management policies.
while unloading the waste, they will refuel at the • Promoting the role of Waste-to-Energy as the
hydrogen station, thus avoiding fossil fuels use.
preferred treatment option for residual waste.
From households to industries, shopping centres
• Recognising Waste-to-Energy as a sustainable
and greenhouses, the amount of facilities heated
and cooled by the energy recovered from waste waste management option.
will constantly grow. • Recognising the value of Waste-to-Energy for
climate change mitigation.
Integrated Waste-to-Water processes will be able • Minimising the amount of landfilling to the
to improve waste management in desert areas, and amount strictly necessary.
the energy recovered from the waste will power • Increasing trust in recycled products by setting
seawater desalination plants to produce drinking
transparent quality criteria.
water sustainably.
• Enabling the recovery of waste for specific
The roads we walk along and the buildings we uses.
live in will be more and more constructed with • Supporting the export of sound waste
secondary raw materials from bottom ashes, management technologies including Waste-to-
reducing the exploitation of primary materials. Energy.

The Waste-to-Energy plants themselves will As one of the cleanest industries in Europe, Waste-
turn into edutainment and sport centres, with to-Energy is too valuable to be underestimated or
ski slopes, climbing chimneys and tennis courts, left aside. It’s a technology in constant evolution,
restaurants with vantage points and education open to innovation and linked with other industrial
centres for school activities. sectors in a circular and sustainable way.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

6
01
WASTE GENERATION
AND WASTE
MANAGEMENT
PROJECTIONS
FOR 2050

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 HOW MUCH WASTE WILL BE
PRODUCED GLOBALLY IN 2050?
According to the World Bank report of 2018, “What
a Waste 2.0”: “By 2050, waste generation across Global waste
the world is expected to reach 3.40 billion tonnes”
per year. According to the same report, in 2016,
generation
2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste were will increase
generated worldwide. Europe and Central Asia
together are expected to generate 490 million by around 60%
tonnes per year by 2050, roughly 100 million
tonnes more than the amount generated in 2016.
by 2050
In a region such as Sub-Saharan Africa, waste
generation is expected to triple, from 174 million 7
tonnes per year in 2016 to 516 million tonnes in
2050.

Projected waste generation by region 2016 2030 2050

Millions of tonnes per year

Middle East and Sub-Saharan Latin America North America South Asia Europe and East Asia
North Africa Africa and Caribbean Central Asia and Pacific

Source: World Bank report “What a Waste 2.0”.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 HOW IS WASTE MANAGED
AND DISPOSED GLOBALLY
TODAY?
Global waste treatment and disposal

37%
5.5%
11%
is disposed in landfills

37%

33%
is openly dumped
13.5%

13.5%
8

33%
is recycled
Source: World Bank report “What a Waste 2.0”.

11%
Disposed in landfills Openly dumped

Recycled Treated through incineration

Composted
is treated through
incineration
In OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation

5.5%
and Development) countries, 39% of the overall
solid waste still goes to landfills1 and the volume
is composted of waste generated is expected to rise in the near
future. The United States still send approximately
52% of the total waste generated to landfills2.
Europe’s numbers are not reassuring either, with
24% of municipal waste disposed by landfilling and
70% of waste diverging treatment methods among EU Member

generated States3.

worldwide is 1) According to the World Bank report “What a Waste 2.0”.

dumped! 2) According to “Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling” by EPA (U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency).

3) According to the Municipal Waste statistics 2017 by Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/

statistics-explained/index.php/Municipal_waste_statistics

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

HOW IS MUNICIPAL WASTE
DISPOSED AND TREATED
IN EUROPE TODAY?

48%
is recycled and
According to the EU
composted
circular economy policies
28%
is treated through
and legislation completed
in 2018, the common EU
Waste-to-Energy
technology
target by 2035 is to recycle
24% 65% of municipal waste. 9

is landfilled

EU 28 municipal waste treated 2017 Recycling Landfilling Waste-to-Energy

Source: Eurostat

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 HOW DISPOSAL METHODS
CHANGE BY INCOME
WORLDWIDE?
Figures show that high-income countries, who have a more
structured and efficient waste management framework, have higher
shares of recycling and Waste-to-Energy processes. However,
even in high-income countries, landfill is still the most used waste
management option.

10 Disposal methods by income

High-income 2%

2% 39% 22% 29% 6%

Upper-middle income 2%

30% 54% 10% 4%

Lower-middle income

66% 18% 6% 10%

Low income 0,3%

93% 3% 3.7%

Open dump Landfill Recycling Incineration Composting Other advanced methods

Source: World Bank report “What a Waste 2.0”.

Waste-to-Energy is almost non-existent in middle and low-income

countries, where waste collection is very poor and open dumpsites are
still the most common way to treat the waste.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

2050
WASTE CHALLENGES MUST
11

BE SOLVED GLOBALLY!
Sound waste management
technologies including Waste-
to-Energy need to be rolled out
globally to improve recycling and
recovery and reduce dumpsites.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

12
02
HOW TO SOLVE
GLOBAL WASTE
CHALLENGES?

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste management stands at the crossroads of worldwide challenges:
pollution, health, scarcity of resources, economic development and much more.
Sound waste management systems are key to protect public health and uphold
the right to a healthy environment, which should be considered a basic human
right. Nevertheless, most of the world is still overwhelmed by waste and
cannot manage it as a resource.

Bad waste management entails consequences that The contribution

go far beyond the waste management sector itself.
Open dumpsites and fires sweeping through them of Waste-to-Energy
result in harmful emissions ranging from dioxins,
suspected to cause cancer and other diseases, to A circular waste management process can only
GHG emissions that accelerate climate change. aim to safely manage and reduce the amount
of waste by following the waste hierarchy,
thus focusing on prevention, re-use, recycling,
From a waste management recovery and disposal4.
logic to a waste and resource
management one By treating residual waste, Waste-to-Energy
plants are a key contributor to “cleaning” the
Global stress on natural resources must be circular economy: they remove pollutants that
alleviated by treating waste as a resource, going would hamper the recycling streams and they 13
from a waste management logic to a waste and contribute to decarbonising the economy,
resource management one. in particular by diverting waste from landfills,
reducing fossil fuel use and preventing the
Europe’s successful integrated waste management extraction of primary raw materials5.
policies rely on two key pillars, namely waste
avoidance and recovery of resources and energy to
avoid landfills.

Waste-to-Energy
and renewable energy
Around half of the energy generated in Waste-to-Energy plants
is renewable as it is of biogenic origin (e.g. contaminated
wood waste, residues from composting or anaerobic digestion
processes, etc.). This waste is therefore biomass and thereby
helps Member States to meet their renewable energy targets.

4) Directive 2008/98/EC on waste (Waste Framework Directive): http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/

5) Waste Management World (19-02-2015) “Waste to Energy: The Carbon Perspective”: https://waste-management-world.com/a/waste-to-energy-the-carbon-perspective

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 WASTE-TO-ENERGY
PLANTS:

Generate
renewable energy
Half of the energy recovered is
renewable as it comes from waste of
biogenic origin. Plants recover the
energy from waste in the form of
electricity, heat and cold production
with efficiencies of up to 95%.

14

Contribute
to a high quality
of recycling
Plants act as a pollutant sink by taking
out and destroying toxic materials
that cannot be recycled, such as flame
retardants used in plastic products.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 Produce secondary
raw materials
The processing of bottom ashes leads
more and more to mineral and metal
recovery such as precious, ferrous and
non-ferrous metals, aluminium and brass.

Have very low

emissions 15

Plants meet the strictest industrial

emissions requirements placed on
any EU industry in terms of pollutants
monitored, emission limit values and
operating conditions. Moreover, the
proximity of Waste-to-Energy plants
with residential areas fosters the sector’s
appetite for exemplarity.

Reduce greenhouse
gas emissions
Waste diverted from landfills prevents
methane emissions; energy and materials
recovered from waste prevent the
extraction of fossil fuels and raw materials.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 2.1
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: CLOSING
THE LOOP WITH ENERGY AND
MATERIAL RECOVERY
According to Eurostat, 175 million tonnes of waste excluding major mineral
wastes were lost in landfills in Europe in 20166. To increase efficiency and
sustainability, the European Commission delivered a roadmap targeted
at using natural resources, such as metals, minerals, fuels, and water, in a
16 sustainable manner in order to achieve a resource-efficient Europe by 20507.
Waste-to-Energy substantially contributes towards a resource efficient Europe with three main actions:

1 Hygienisation
A circular economy does not
Waste-to-Energy’s long-standing role is to address
the so-called “residual” fraction of waste which is
mean maintaining all materials
waste of poor quality (e.g. degraded material after in circulation at all costs
several times of recycling), waste that is rejected by
the recycling facilities, and polluted waste. Bisphenol A – an endocrine disruptor and
reproductive toxic substance – is used
This prevents the recycling cycle from the risk as a colour developer in thermal paper,
to be contaminated with polluted products and which is for example used for sale receipts.
diverts the non-recyclable waste from landfills, Since thermal paper is typically recycled, it
dumpsites and open fires. contaminates other paper products and,
therefore, hampers the whole recycling
chain. Through its long-standing role in
hygienising the waste, Waste-to-Energy
prevents such contaminations, thus
contributing to high quality recycling.

6) Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Waste_statistics
7) The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/resource_efficiency/about/roadmap/index_en.htm

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

2 Energy Recovery
Waste-to-Energy plants supply homes, public
facilities and businesses with electricity, heating How cool is Waste-to-Energy?
and cooling generated from waste, providing local
energy to energy consumers. In Northern European countries, Waste-to-
Energy plants are well known for providing
The energy provided by Waste-to-Energy matches heat to residential buildings, businesses
supply and demand thanks to the storage of heat, and nearby industries through district
which makes it available at the right time and heating networks. In the future, more and
location. But the technology is further improving more district cooling networks will also
thanks to mobile thermal storage, which allows to emerge to respond to Southern Europe’s
store the heat and to transport it where it is most countries needs to improve their energy
needed. efficiency and reduce their CO2 emissions
in an economic way.
Such a mobile storage system has been tested and
demonstrated in Germany in the city of Hamm, For instance, the San Adrià de Besòs
with a Waste-to-Energy plant as heat source and an Waste-to-Energy plant located in
industrial drying process as customer. Barcelona provides 29MW cooling
capacity to nearby businesses and
Another important development is the Integrated households, including offices, hotels, a
Waste-to-Water process, which allows to combine hospital, shopping centres and private
heat and electricity from Waste-to-Energy to residences. As compared to conventional
power efficient seawater desalination processes, in individual heating and cooling systems,
an innovative form of industrial symbiosis. this network allows to decrease the
primary energy consumption by 90,000
300 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) MWh per year and CO2 emissions by
have the potential to generate enough energy to 15,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
provide drinking water for 100,000 people. This
will secure a sustainable, less fossil fuel-dependent, 17
drinking water supply for local citizens.

3 Material Recovery
Incineration Bottom Ash
The technological processes are such that Waste-
to-Energy plants are increasingly able to recover
recovery in Alkmaar, the
great amounts of materials from the bottom ashes, Netherlands
including minerals and other precious metals which
are of great value for the industry. The Alkmaar bottom ash treatment plant
recovers several materials in various
Estimates show that, in the Netherlands only, fractions of the bottom ashes, up to the
bottom ashes contain gold with a value of very fine sand fraction.
approximately €27 million. Tapping into such
source of precious metals would allow operators A washing process allows the mineral
to increase their revenues by opening a new, local fraction to be cleaned from any harmful
stream of secondary raw materials. substances and therefore freely applied
as a construction material, for example as
a substitute for sand in road building, but
also in concrete and asphalt. Moreover, it
allows to recover high rates of non-ferrous
metals such as copper, gold, lead and
aluminium.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 2.2
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A GLOBAL
CARBON SINK FOR THE WASTE
SECTOR
By combining the effects of landfill diversion, energy efficient processes
and improved energy and materials recovery, Waste-to-Energy reduces the
emissions of CO2 and is a carbon sink.
18
According to the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), waste management has the potential to
contribute to a 10-15% reduction in global GHG emissions8. And how specifically does Waste-to-Energy
reduce GHG emissions? On top of the already mentioned energy recovery aspect (p. 12), through the
combined effect of three more actions:

1 Landfill Diversion
The diversion of residual waste from landfills has From pollution to solution
the potential to dramatically reduce the emissions
of methane (CH4), a powerful greenhouse gas. About 60 million tonnes of municipal
Indeed, in the case of landfilling, decomposed waste are still landfilled annually in
waste generates CH4 which, over a 20-year period, Europe10, and almost 175 million tonnes
is 86 times more potent than CO29. considering all the waste streams (except
major mineral waste). A significant amount
of this waste could be diverted to Waste-
to-Energy, thereby preventing massive
quantities of CO2 emissions11.

8) ISWA - Global Waste Management Outlook: https://www.iswa.org/fileadmin/galleries/Publications/ISWA_Reports/GWMO_summary_web.pdf

9) According to IPCC 5th Assessment Report (AR5): https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/

10) Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Municipal_waste_statistics#Municipal_waste_treatment

11) Estimation made on the assumption of the study of German UBA: The Climate Change Mitigation potential of the waste sector – 2015:
https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/publikationen/the-climate-change-mitigation-potential-of-the

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

2 Prevention of extraction
of primary raw materials
Recovering resources
The improvement of energy and materials recovery is good for the environment
from the treatment of residual waste prevents
the extraction of virgin fuels and the employment Given the amount of IBA generated in
of primary raw materials and their related GHG Europe and the yield of ferrous and non-
emissions. ferrous metals that can be extracted from
IBA, CEWEP estimated that, by recycling
It is estimated that the climate mitigation potential these metals, 2.7 to 3.5 million tonnes of
of recovering several types of metals from CO2-equivalent could be saved in the
incineration bottom ashes (IBA) would amount EU which is equivalent to taking up to 2
to around 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of metal million European cars off the roads.
recycled from IBA.

3 Carbon capture, utilisation

and storage
Industrial CO2 capture, storage and utilisation As stated in its name, Carbon Capture and
19
can not only substantially reduce the intrinsic Utilisation (CCU) allows to recover CO2 as a source
GHG emissions of Waste-to-Energy plants, but of carbon to use it in the manufacturing process
also abate GHG emissions from other sectors by of fuels, carbonates, polymers and chemicals. CCU
making the most of this CO2 by using it as a raw represents a new economy for CO2, which will be
material to manufacture new products, fuels, etc. used as a raw material for new products12.

Transforming CO2 into new This product, obtained as a result of the

alkaline reaction with soda, is re-used at the
products Waste-to-Energy plant for FGT purposes.
Consequently, it has a twofold positive
Among the concrete examples of CCU effect: it captures CO2 emissions and it uses
implementation, the Twence Waste-to-Energy the produced NaHCO3 to further clean the
plant located in the Netherlands developed flue gases.
an innovative system for capturing CO2 from
the dry Flue Gas Treatment (FGT) system to The system is fully integrated in the plant
use it as a raw material for producing sodium and produces approximately 8,000 tonnes of
bicarbonate (NaHCO3). sodium bicarbonate annually, which reduce
CO2 emissions of up to 3,000 tonnes per
year.

12) Smart Specialisation Platform. Carbon Capture and Utilization: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/carbon-capture-and-utilization

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

20
03
THE FUTURE
OF WASTE-TO-
ENERGY PLANTS

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

The EU energy system will become more decentralised, decarbonised and
more locally integrated and society will become more circular – in order to
achieve a climate-neutral economy by 2050.

Increased feed-in from variable generators, which Waste-to-Energy plants will therefore be integrated
grows the need for balancing, will mean that with recycling plants in waste management centres.
Waste-to-Energy plants will have to make sure Landfills will be minimised all over Europe and
they can use the energy they generate even if their separate waste collection will be everyone’s rule.
electricity may not be fed into the grid.
Waste-to-Energy plants will be increasingly
So the challenges to address will touch on the one integrated into the urban fabric and will generate
hand the energy generation and on the other hand multiple opportunities for citizens, while
the circular economy. safeguarding the environment.

Electricity, heat and cold generation, energy Their large scale will allow to integrate sport
recovered from the waste, will be complemented centres (such as ski slopes, rock climbing gyms,
by electricity taken from the grid in order to skate parks, tennis courts, outdoor swimming
reduce the stress from variable renewables on the pools, etc.) and edutainment activities to raise 21
electricity system. students’ and citizens’ awareness of waste
management, energy production, engineering, etc.
Existing infrastructure (electricity grid connection)
will be used to absorb surplus renewable electricity Moreover, the presence of restaurants, picnic
and to transform it into either heat and cold spots, panoramic points and the organisation of
(thereby decarbonising the heating sector) for activities including concerts, open-air cinemas
houses, businesses and shopping centres, or to and theatres, etc. will be potential features of both
create carbon neutral fuels by integrating the future the plants and the parks surrounding them. Finally,
plants more with H2 based fuel generation, thereby synergies with research centres will allow for the
decarbonising the transport sector. development of innovative technologies furthering
the contribution of Waste-to-Energy to resource
Waste-to-Energy plants will store energy; they will efficiency and decarbonisation.
be able to desalinise water; they will capture the
CO2 and recover it; and much more. Waste-to-Energy plants are both a necessity and
an opportunity. They will generate jobs involving a
Circularity means that Waste-to-Energy plants huge variety of professions, they will contribute to
will take care of the fraction of waste that cannot the economic growth of the city and they will keep
be directly recycled. All materials after the Waste- the environment clean, fully aligned with the goals
to-Energy process that can be used will then set by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda for
be recycled into products. This will reduce the Sustainable Development13.
environmental impact of the products by avoiding
the use of virgin materials. Let’s see in details how a Waste-to-Energy plant of
the future will look like.
Contributing to a sound use of natural resources,
Waste-to-Energy plants will systematically recover
minerals and metals to build roads, buildings, etc.;
produce biological fertilisers for agriculture; and
much more.

13) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

24
04
POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

A sound and realistic waste management policy

A) Promote the waste hierarchy B) Promote the role of Waste-

as the enabler of sound waste to-Energy as the preferred
management policies treatment option for residual
waste 25
The waste hierarchy commands that waste should
be managed with the following priority order: Technological progress allows Waste-to-Energy
prevention, re-use, recycling, recovery and disposal. plants to recover massive quantities of metals
Waste-to-Energy is only competing with landfilling and minerals from the generated residues. Some
for residual waste. And the waste hierarchy Member States even require that 100 % of the
recognises that landfilling should come last. mineral fraction of these residues be recovered.

However, recent legislative developments have Therefore, Waste-to-Energy should always be

shown a worrying trend to discard the waste seen as a recovery operation and the preferred
hierarchy as a prerequisite for the development of treatment option for residual waste and should
waste management infrastructure. never be put on equal terms with landfilling.

This basic principle of waste management aims

to reduce negative impacts, in particular on public C) Minimise the amount of
health and the environment, and to improve landfilling to the amount strictly
resource efficiency. It is therefore of paramount necessary
importance that, going forward, this principle
remains a key driver in every policy or legislative Almost half of the EU Member States still send
action touching on waste management. more than 40% of their municipal waste to
landfills. This fraction should be minimised to
what cannot be recycled nor recovered, e.g.
through Waste-to-Energy processes.

For that purpose, mandatory disposal reduction

targets as well as restrictions on landfilling for
several waste streams should be implemented as
early as possible.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

 A clean and safe circular economy

D) Increase trust in recycled E) Enable the recovery of waste

products by setting transparent for specific uses
quality criteria
Current rules on the classification of waste,
The problem of substances polluting recycled based on the List of Waste (LoW)15 as well
products is often highlighted – for example by as on their intrinsic properties, should be
the recent study “Toxic Soup – Dioxins in Plastic supplemented by a second step based on a risk
Toys”14 which showed high levels of brominated assessment, taking into account the intrinsic
dioxins in toys made of recycled plastic stemming properties of the waste but also exposure
from electronic waste. Quantitative recycling (risk = danger x exposure). Such rules should be
targets are therefore not enough to achieve a truly enacted at the EU-level in order to ensure a level
circular economy. They need to be complemented playing field in the evaluation.
with qualitative ones in order to boost confidence
in secondary raw materials, which still suffer from Bioavailability/bioaccessibility of substances
poor reputation. contained in the waste could be used to
assess exposure, and, hence, risk. However, to
As far as Waste-to-Energy is concerned, part of the date, these concepts are neither defined nor
way has already been cleared with the European standardised and do not cover all exposure
Commission acknowledging that high-quality pathways in all cases. Therefore, risk should be
metals from bottom ashes can be recycled. A step assessed for each category of waste based on
forward would be to recognise that the mineral the intended use.
fraction of bottom ashes can also be recycled.

26

A low-carbon circular economy

F) Recognise the value of Waste- Waste-to-Energy offsets GHG emissions that

would have been emitted by other sectors
to-Energy for climate change thanks to the diversion of waste from landfills,
mitigation the production of energy that would otherwise
be generated by fossil fuel-powered plants and
Waste management options vary locally depending the recycling of metals and minerals.
on multiple factors (waste input, geographical
location, climate conditions, etc.). Therefore, all Instruments like the EU Emissions Trading
measures to address GHG emissions should be System (ETS) or taxes do not fit for Waste-to-
taken by each Member State. Energy for several reasons (fuel switching not
possible, CO2 emissions reductions already
required under other legislation), and therefore
the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) is the right
tool to reduce emissions over time.

14) Toxic Soup - Dioxins in Plastic Toys: https://www.env-health.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Toxic_Soup_brochure_en_web04-1.pdf

15) Waste Framework Directive: Waste classification and the European List of Waste: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/framework/list.htm

WASTE-TO-ENERGY 2050 –––– CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT

A modern, global, integrated waste management system

G) Recognise Waste-to-Energy as H) Support the export of

a sustainable waste management sound waste management
option technologies including Waste-
to-Energy
An appropriate and sustainable interaction of
different waste management options, compatible European suppliers of Waste-to-Energy
with the local conditions, must be carefully technologies are considered the most advanced
designed and executed. This can only be done globally, thanks to their long-standing
through sound planning of treatment capacity, experience in building Europe’s flagship waste
including for residual waste that cannot be management facilities. Disseminating these
recycled. technologies worldwide has the potential to
resolve critical waste management issues, for the
In many Member States, such planning will uncover benefit of the environment and the society.
capacity shortages for the treatment of residual
waste. Therefore, it is important that public and Therefore, the EU should use all means
private finance remains available for the creation available to help the industry in its efforts to
of integrated sustainable waste management roll out its reliable and innovative technological
systems, for which the waste hierarchy remains a solutions beyond the EU borders, in particular
key guide. through trade agreements, technical support,
development aid or economic missions.

27
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1030 Brussels, Belgium Fax: +32 2 743 29 90

www.eswet.eu
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EUROPEAN SUPPLIERS OF WASTE-TO-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY @ESWET_EU