About: waste to energy

Carbon capture: Europe’s trump card for waste treatment?

Europe has a waste problem. In 2018, over two million tonnes of rubbish was treated in the EU, with just under half of this going to landfills, where it releases climate-damaging methane emissions.

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.

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.

Renewables law could lock EU into costly burning technologies

The EU Council’s position on the recast Renewable Energy Directive (REDII), if adopted, could lock EU member states into expensive and polluting waste-to-energy technologies that contradict the circular economy and climate objectives, writes Janek Vahk.

Why the EU’s renewable energy proposal subverts the circular economy

To date, the Renewable Energy Directive has been a key obstacle to achieving waste policy objectives. If the EU is serious about the transition towards a circular economy, it is crucial that incentive schemes for renewables encourage separate collection and recycling, writes Janek Vahk.

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.

Gas lobby chief: ‘In 2050, 76% of gas could be renewable’

The excess wind and solar electricity generated at times of oversupply could be used more systematically to produce synthetic gas, providing a convenient way of storing renewable energy that would otherwise be lost. The potential is huge, and can be used to heat homes during winter, argues Beate Raabe.

Environmentalists find renewed hope in ‘industrial’ CCS

Considered almost dead and buried a few years ago, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is enjoying renewed support among environmentalists, providing fresh hopes that the much decried technology may finally be coming of age and play its part in the fight against climate change.

EU warned against renewables law ‘subverting’ the circular economy

Lawmakers in the European Parliament will next month examine a draft renewable energy bill that recycling industries warn would allow EU countries to count the burning of biowaste towards their green energy obligations, undermining separate efforts to boost recycling.

Hard Brexit a ‘disaster scenario’ for waste treatment capacity, warns Suez

The UK is faced with a "potential disaster scenario" that could see a Hard Brexit exacerbate a shortfall of waste treatment infrastructure over the next 10 years, waste management firm Suez has warned. EURACTIV's partner edie.net reports.

A Canadian circular economy reality

Edmonton has become the first city which turns all non-compostable and non-recyclable household waste into methanol, ethanol and green chemicals. Europe should take notice, writes Lambert van Nistelrooij.

Experts: Circular economy targets should be adapted to each member state

The essence of the circular economy is not in numbers and targets, but in changing attitudes and seeking new business opportunities, experts said at a debate organised by EURACTIV Czech Republic.

In the rush to get waste out of landfill, the EU risks losing sight of its recycling targets

Since 2010, billions of euros have been committed for energy from waste (EfW) infrastructure in Northern Europe. This would be sensible if recycling levels remained unchanged, writes Adam Baddeley.

Can our bins brighten our future?

There is energy in your bin. A large part of it is renewable. And it works even when there is no wind or sun. Why not use it, asks Patrick Clerens.