WASTE THE DOWNFALL OF LANDFILL AND THE RISE OF WASTE-BASED ENERGY, FUEL AND FERTILISER
Waste not want not
The UK produces in excess of 600 million tonnes of waste annually. Historically this material has either been landfilled or incinerated with only a small amount of energy recovery taking place, although in recent years this has changed dramatically. The UK now recycles 45% of its waste. This material is a valued resource that comes from a wide variety of sources including commercial, industrial and household collections. Separating waste streams by source and type is vital for maximising their value for recycling and energy recovery.
Smarter not harder
As a country, we need to be smarter about how we use our waste. We have to do more to reduce, reuse and recycle, but when that is exhausted we will still have a resource left over that should be utilised as effectively as possible. Landfill and incineration (without energy recovery), are wasteful and environmentally unsustainable. So too is shipping our waste to other countries for them to utilise, which is common practice at present. The various organics recycling and waste to energy technologies - from compost and biogas to combustion and advanced conversion - are undergoing huge technical advances, enabling us to realise the value in our waste, reduce our emissions and improve our energy and resource security.
No more wasted food
Up to 50% of recycled waste is biodegradable in nature, yet as a nation we are doing nowhere near enough to realise its potential for producing sustainable compost, fertiliser and energy.
Composting and anaerobic digestion (AD) are two key technologies in organics recycling, which can turn food waste and farm slurry into compost and fertiliser. AD also produces biogas, which can generate electricity under Feed-in Tariff (FIT) or the Renewables Obligation (RO), whilst the RHI supports both on-site heat generation and the injection of upgraded biogas (biomethane or ‘green gas’) into the gas grid so we can use it to heat our buildings or fuel vehicles or industrial processes.
Woodier lignin-based materials, such as garden waste and plant material from the maintenance of soft landscapes and green spaces, is by far the highest volume of material collected, amounting to 5.2 million tonnes PA. This is largely being composted and used as a soil conditioner, mainly in agriculture, but also in retail and soft landscaping. Compost and biofertiliser are increasingly recognised as having a valued role to play in replacing unsustainable soil improvers and growing media, such as artificial fertilisers and peat.
Using our organic resources sensibly, as part of an integrated circular economy, will bring benefits to our energy supply, the rural economy and the environment.
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