About: incineration
Why carbon capture on waste-to-energy facilities undermines climate action
Despite the initial impression that carbon capture and storage would be a good idea to reduce emissions from waste incineration plants, the climate will not benefit from this, argue Mick Wallace and Janek Vähk.
Last minute EU taxonomy changes water down sustainability criteria for waste, NGOs say
The European Commission on Wednesday (21 April), tabled a first set of implementation rules under the EU's sustainable finance taxonomy, but changes made since a draft leaked last week have weakened criteria on waste management, campaigners say.
Oslo incinerator plans to go carbon negative, pending EU decision
A waste-to-energy plant in the Norwegian capital could become one of the world’s first carbon negative incinerators, pending a decision from the European Commission to fund a CO2 capture facility there. Environmentalists, for their part, are yet to be convinced.
Waste incineration: An extreme carbon outlier
Meeting the EU’s 10% landfill target is possible without climate damage, writes Janek Vähk.
Rome prepares to ship its rubbish across Europe, raising environmental concerns
The exit strategy from Rome’s current garbage crisis involves re-routing thousands of tonnes of junk to Sweden and other EU countries, with a huge financial and environmental cost in terms of CO2 emissions.
Waste incineration is waste incineration, no matter the classification
The European Parliament must reject any proposal that provides Cohesion Funds to incineration facilities, no matter their classification, writes Dr. Ingrid Behrsin.
How the EU’s Cohesion Fund can support the circular economy
The EU’s next Cohesion Fund for regional development should prioritise investments into waste management systems focused on prevention, re-use, separate collection and recycling – not on incineration, argues Janek Vahk.
EU warms to plastic waste ‘recycling’ as transport fuel
A proposal to use non-recyclable plastic waste in the production of transport fuels is picking momentum among EU member states and legislators in the European Parliament, despite warnings from environmentalists.
Worries mount over waste incineration as ‘renewable energy’
A coalition of green NGOs and industries in the business of recycling, chemicals, forestry and the bio-based economy wrote to policymakers on Thursday (3 May), urging them to prevent incineration of unrecyclable waste from being counted as renewable energy.
Lithuania plans to burn more waste – but does it have enough?
Lithuania plans to build more waste incineration plants, which the government says could lead to reducing energy bills – but politicians and NGOs worry that it would jeopardise recycling targets as not enough waste is being produced.
Waste: Subsidies make it cheaper to burn than recycle
The growing trend of burning waste for energy undermines Europe’s recycling efforts by diverting waste to incinerators instead of having it reused or recycled, thereby defeating the purpose of the Commission's well-meant directive on minimising waste.
Commission announces investment boost for circular economy
The EU executive announced today (26 January) the first steps towards legislation on the burning of waste for energy, and that it would work with the European Investment Bank to spur financial backing for projects supporting the shift to a circular economy.
MEPs bolster EU recycling and landfill targets
Members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee yesterday (24 January) moved to increase draft EU recycling and landfill targets that had been lowered by the European Commission in its re-tabled Circular Economy Package.
Norwegian waste expert: Germany should lead, not slow down progress
The proposed 2030 waste targets are ambitious, but achievable, EURACTIV Slovakia learned from Henrik Lystad, deputy director of the Norwegian Association of Waste Management and chair of the European Compost Network.
New Circular Economy Package takes shape
EXCLUSIVE / The European Commission’s new Circular Economy Package will include fresh legislation on waste, fertilisers, and water reuse, “strong commitments” on Eco-design, strategies for handling plastics and chemicals, and “major” funding for innovation, EURACTIV has learnt.
Dow boss: Importing waste to burn it shows the market is working
If the policy is clear enough, the EU’s new circular economy package of waste, incineration and recycling laws could bring intertwined benefits to business and the environment, Dow Chemicals’ Government Affairs boss in Europe told EURACTIV.
Waste-to-energy boss: incineration can complement recycling
By recycling what can be recycled and burning for energy what cannot, there is a place for incineration in the circular economy, says Ella Stengler.
Green campaigner: Incineration causes more problems than it solves
Touted by some as a two-fold solution to the EU's energy and waste problems, incineration is not the answer the EU looking for as it debates changes to its waste and landfill rules, argues Ariadna Rodrigo.
New role for Jeremy Irons: Talking trash in Brussels
People must overhaul their habits of “unadulterated consumerism” if the EU is to curb its huge waste problem, British actor Jeremy Irons told a conference in Brussels.
Europe dumps or incinerates 60% of waste: NGO report
Europe recycles only 25% of its municipal waste, a far-cry from the EU's promise of a resource-efficient economy, says a study released today (14 February) by Friends of the Earth Europe.