Decarbonisation of residual waste infrastructure: report

Footnotes

1 Dr Church is CEO at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and is Chair of the Circular Economy Task Force, a business group led by the Green Alliance. He has previously been the CEO of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), which is a professional body for the waste management industry in the UK. Prior to that, he held several senior roles in Defra, DECC and the Cabinet Office.

2 Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, Report. Review of Incineration. (2022). Available at: Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

3 Written question and answer: S6W-03436, Scottish Parliament. (2022). Available at: Questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Website

4 Call for Evidence. Review of Incineration. (2021). Available at: Incineration in the waste hierarchy review: call for evidence - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot)

5 Evidence Document. Review of Incineration. (2021). Available at Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

6 Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, Report, Review of Incineration. (2022). Available at: Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

7 Call for Evidence. Review of Incineration. (2021). Available at: Incineration in the waste hierarchy review: call for evidence - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot)

8 These waste streams were chosen as they are likely to be captured by the forthcoming ban on sending certain biodegradable waste streams to landfill (see Annex A), they comprise a large proportion of waste incinerated, the incineration of these waste streams has increased significantly since 2013, and municipal waste incinerators are often the object of stakeholder concerns

9 See the Evidence Document. Review of Incineration. (2022). Available at: Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

10 Opportunities to Decarbonise the Waste Treatment. Eunomia. (2022). Published alongside this report (See Supporting Documents

11 Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland Report. Review of Incineration. (2022). Section 3.2. Available at: Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

12 Waste from all sources Summary Document and Commentary text. SEPA. (2019). Available at: Waste data for Scotland | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

13 Summary data and text. SEPA (2022). Available at: Household waste data | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

14 Response to the Call for Evidence. Zero Waste Scotland. (2022). Available at: Response 904363792 to Incineration in the waste hierarchy review: call for evidence - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot)

15 Waste Incinerated in Scotland Statistical Commentary. SEPA. (2022). Available at: Waste data for Scotland | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

16 Delivering Scotland's circular economy - route map to 2025 and beyond: consultation, Scottish Government. (2022). Available at: Package 6: Minimise the impact of disposal - Delivering Scotland's circular economy - route map to 2025 and beyond: consultation - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

17 Response to the Call for Evidence. SEPA. (2022). Available at: Response 539587232 to Incineration in the waste hierarchy review: call for evidence - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot)

18 That is, material that can rot, such as food, paper, natural textiles, and wood.

19 Methane is also produced when food waste is treated in an anaerobic digester, however this is then captured and burned to generate electricity and/or heat so the end emission is also CO₂

20 This is a simplification, because methane’s lifetime in the atmosphere is different to that of carbon dioxide and so their relative strength also varies over time.

21 Update to the Climate Change Plan. Scottish Government. (2020). Available at: Securing a green recovery on a path to net zero: climate change plan 2018–2032 - update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

22 Data from Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory for 2021. SEPA. (2022). Available at: SPRI | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

23 Based on methane having 25 times Greenhouse Gas Equivalent using Greenhouse Gas Equivalence calculator. USEPA. (2022). Available at: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator | US EPA

24 The carbon impact is a measure of the whole-life carbon impacts of waste, from resource extraction and manufacturing emissions, right through to waste management emissions. See Scottish Household waste data and text. SEPA. (2021). Available at: Household waste data | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

25 Table 14 Household Waste Summary Data Tables. SEPA. (2022). Available at: Household waste data | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

26 Stop, Sort, Burn Bury? Review of Incineration. (2022). 3.4 Capacity Analysis Results. Available at: Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

27 The Climate Impacts of Burning Municipal Waste in Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland. (2020). Available at: The climate change impact of burning municipal waste in Scotland | Zero Waste Scotland

28 The policy context is summarised in Stop, Sort, Burn Bury? Review of Incineration. (2022). Annex B (Pg 55). Available at: Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

29 Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics 2020. Scottish Government. (2022). Available at: Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics 2020 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

30 “The Scottish Government should develop better waste management data, especially around the composition of all types of waste and the arisings and fate of commercial and industrial waste, and improve its capacity to model future trends across the whole resource and waste management system. The forthcoming Route Map should set out how the Scottish Government will do this.” See Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? (2022), Available at: Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

31 In response to the Review’s Recommendation 12, the Scottish Government noted its intention to amend this and explore the potential to provide a separate energy from waste source in future GHG emissions publications. Independent review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy: Scottish Government response. Scottish Government. (2022). Para 43. Available at: Supporting documents - Independent review of the role of incineration in the waste hierarchy: Scottish Government response - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

32 Enabling the circular economy with aluminium. European Aluminium. (2022). Available at: Enabling the circular economy with aluminium - European Aluminium (european-aluminium.eu)

33 See for instance the analysis by Dominic Hogg at Why reporting on greenhouse gas emissions from waste management needs to change — Equanimator (dominichogg.com) and Problems in the Reporting of GHG Emissions from ‘Waste’: Indicators and Inventories. Equanimator Ltd. (2022). Available at the same page

34 Developing the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) (2022): A joint consultation of the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland. BEIS. (2022). available at: Developing the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

35 An import levy on imports of key industrial inputs such as electricity, cement, aluminium, fertiliser and iron and steel products, the level of which depends on the emission content of production and the difference between the UK carbon price and any carbon price paid in the production country.

36 The IPCC estimate that every tonne of waste incinerated releases 0.7-1.2 tCO₂e, depending on its composition.

37 Compositional analyses estimate that food waste makes up around 37% of residual waste, and plastic films, despite their relatively low density, make up 11% of residual waste by weight. See Household Waste composition 2017. WRAP. (2019). Available at: Quantifying the composition of municipal waste | WRAP

38 Recommendation 1, Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? Review of Incineration. (2022). Available at: Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

39 The composition of household waste at the kerbside in 2014-15. Zero Waste Scotland. (2017). Page 12. Available at: Composition household waste at the kerbside 2014-15 | Zero Waste Scotland

40 Recyclate Quality Reporting Tool. SEPA. (2022). Available at: Recyclate Quality (sepa.org.uk)

41 In this Second Report, the term “advanced sorting” is used to describe the process of removing plastics and other materials from residual waste before it is incinerated.

42 National municipal waste composition-England 2017. WRAP. (2017). Available at: Quantifying the composition of municipal waste | WRAP; The composition of household waste at the kerbside in 2014-15. Zero Waste Scotland. (2017). Available at: Composition household waste at the kerbside 2014-15 | Zero Waste Scotland; The climate change impacts of burning municipal waste in Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland. (2021). Available at: The climate change impact of burning municipal waste in Scotland | Zero Waste Scotland.

43 See for example Fossil Fuels & Plastic. CIEL. (2015). Available at: Fossil Fuels & Plastic - Center for International Environmental Law (ciel.org)

44 Response to the Call for Evidence. Viridor (2022). Available at: Response 778305103 to Incineration in the waste hierarchy review: call for evidence - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot)

45 That is, plastic that has been made from fossil sources such as coal, natural gas or oil, as opposed to bio-based plastic made from recently-living material.

46 In the Review, “exports” is used to mean moving waste outside Scotland to other parts of the UK as well as across international boundaries.

47 The price of plastic: ending the toll of plastic waste. House of Commons Committee report. (2022). Available at: The price of plastic: ending the toll of plastic waste - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (parliament.uk)

48 See, for example, Closing the loop: Viridor’s roadmap to a truly circular plastics economy. Viridor (2022). Available at: Viridors roadmap to a truly circular plastics economy and The Reality Check 2022. Biffa. (2022). Available at: Publications | Biffa

49 For example, see Viridor’s response to the Call for Evidence, Response to the Call for Evidence. Viridor. (2022). Available at: Response 778305103 to Incineration in the waste hierarchy review: call for evidence - Scottish Government - Citizen Space (consult.gov.scot)

50 The UK Plastics pact -Annual Report 2021/22. WRAP. (2022). Available at: The UK Plastics Pact Annual Report 2021-22 | WRAP

51 Chemical Recycling State of Play Report. Eunomia. (2020). Available at: Eunomia State of Play Report

52 “Effective immediately, the Scottish Government should ensure that no further planning permission (i.e. beyond that already in place) is granted to incineration infrastructure within the scope of this Review unless balanced by an equal or greater closure of capacity. The only exceptions to this should be those outlined in Recommendation 10.” See Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? (2022), Available at: Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

53 “As part of an overall strategic approach to planning and deploying waste management capacity (see Recommendation 11), the Scottish Government should develop an indicative cap that declines over time for the amount of residual waste treatment needed as Scotland transitions towards a fully circular economy.” See Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? (2022), Available at: Supporting documents - Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury - incineration in the waste hierarchy: independent review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

54 News: From waste to low-carbon heating for Midlothian homes. FCC. (2022). Available at: From waste to low-carbon heating for Midlothian homes – Millerhill (fccenvironment.co.uk)

55 Energy from Waste Facility Non-Technical Summary Acciona Industrial. NESS. (2019). Available at: Ness EfW Limited: Ness EfW facility - permit application - Scottish Environment Protection Agency - Citizen Space (sepa.org.uk)

56 Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidance. SEPA. (2014). Available at: SEPA| Thermal Treatment of Waste Guidelines

57 The CHP Quality Assurance programme (CHPQA) is a UK government initiative providing a practical, determinate method for assessing all types and sizes of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) schemes throughout the UK. CHP, the simultaneous generation of heat and power in a single process, provides one of the most cost-effective approaches for making carbon savings and plays a crucial role in the UK Climate Change programme. Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance Programme. UK Government. (2014). Available at: Combined Heat and Power Quality Assurance Programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

58 About CCUS: Playing an important and diverse role in meeting global energy and climate goals. IEA. (2021). available at: About CCUS – Analysis - IEA

59 Facilities Database. Global CCS Institute. (unknown). Available at: Facilities - Global CCS Institute (co2re.co)

60 Amine-based post-combustion capture. Global Cement and Concrete Association. (2022). Available at: Amine-based post-combustion capture : GCCA (gccassociation.org)

61 See for example, Carbon8. (2022). Available at: Carbon8

62 For more information see Acorn. Acorn. (2022). Available at: Acorn | Growing Our Decarbonised Future (theacornproject.uk)

63 “Scottish Government should urgently work with local authorities in remote and rural areas of Scotland without a settled residual waste management solution to meet the Ban to explore options that might, if fully justified, lead to the creation of a small amount of additional capacity.”

64 Methane has 28-34 times the global warming potential (GWP) compared to CO₂ over a 100-year period (this increases to 84-86 times measured over 20 years). The Challenge. UNEC. (2022). Available at: The Challenge | UNECE

65 Some biogenic material is likely to be sequestered in landfill sites, and could therefore act as a small carbon sink.

66 UK Greenhouse and Gas inventory 1990 to 2020 Annual Report for submission under the Framework Convention on Climate Change. NAEI. (2022). Available at: Report: UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 to 2020: Annual Report for submission under the Framework Convention on Climate Change - NAEI, UK (beis.gov.uk)

67 The CCC has recommended that methane capture rates increase to 80% by 2050 to address fugitive emissions from landfill. See 2021 Progress Report to Parliament. CCC. (2021). Available at: 2021 Progress Report to Parliament - Climate Change Committee (theccc.org.uk)

68 The amount of landfill gas produced is dependent on number of factors including volume and biodegradable content of waste, compaction, and moisture.

69 In 2020- 21, 308,950 ROCS were issued in Scotland for landfill gas renewable technology. See Renewables Obligation Annual Report 2020-21. OFGEM. (2022). Available at: Renewables Obligation (RO) Annual Report 2020-21 | Ofgem

70 Previous study noted a similar recommendation for landfill aftercare, See Landfill After Care Scoping Study.. Defra. (2019). Available at: Science Search (defra.gov.uk)

71 All the data and figures presented in this section come from the Eunomia report unless otherwise stated, see 10

72 Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, EC (2008). Available at: EUR-Lex - 32008L0098 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)

73 Consultation on changes being made to UK legislation to reflect amendments to the Waste Framework Directive from Commission Directive (EU) 2015/1127 Government response. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs/ Welsh Government. (2016). Available at: Consultation on changes being made to UK legislation to reflect amendments to the Waste Framework Directive from Commission Directive (EU) 2015/1127: Government response (publishing.service.gov.uk)

74 Delivering Scotland’s circular economy A Route Map to 2025 and beyond. Scottish Government. (2022). Available at: Delivering Scotland's circular economy - route map to 2025 and beyond: consultation - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)