Government encouraged to abandon focus on recycling

In a report published today (December 4), entitled 'Energy from Waste – a Wasted Opportunity?', the IMechE attack the government for focussing on Energy-from-Waste (EfW) as a waste treatment option rather than as energy production.

And, the organisation, which has around 80,000 members in 120 countries, warned that focussing purely on increasing recycling rates as a means to achieve the EU Landfill Directive's targets for landfill diversion was “unachievable”.

The report called on Government to “abandon its focus on recycling as the only way to rid us of landfill, as this is quite unachievable and is clearly deceiving the public about what is really happening to their waste.”

In a statement, the IMechE claimed that there were “too few” recycling plants to meet targets, and took issue with materials such as paper and plastic “being shipped off to other destinations with their future unknown – and this still counts towards UK and local targets”.

Emphasising the benefits of producing energy from waste, the report also recommended that “recycling should only be for waste products which cannot be more sustainably converted into electricity, heat and/or transport fuels”.

Energy targets

At the same time, the IMechE study called on the Government to allow Energy-from-Waste to play a greater part in energy production, claiming that “it is extremely improbable that the UK's legally binding renewable energy commitments can be reached unless EfW plants cease to be regarded as a less desirable form of waste treatment process and become regarded as the best-proven, safe, clean energy recovery solution available to us.”

To this end, IMechE said the Government should review its energy strategy, making EfW a “key component” in energy production, as well as redefining waste as an energy resource, giving the DECC the chance to focus on its “optimal use”.

And, it argued Government should “promote and encourage” investment in smaller scale heating projects where local waste is used as fuel, claiming it could help to eliminate UK energy poverty “within a generation”.

The report also claimed that many of the issues stemmed from the perception of “waste as a 'problem' and not a 'resource'”, and argued that “most people in the UK and, seemingly, the Government, do not know the difference between 'incineration' and 'combustion',” resulting in EfW plants being “erroneously” labelled 'incinerators'.