Study disputes ‘energy from waste’ myth

http://www.malaya.com.ph/jul27/envi3.html
Malaya July 27, 2006

THE UK based Friends of the Earth (FoE) has released a fresh report questioning the myth that "energy from waste" produces green and renewable electricity and is part of the solution to climate change.

The report entitled "A Changing Climate for Energy from Waste" affirms that waste prevention is the beneficial option from a climate point of view, followed by reuse and recycling. Landfilling and incinerating waste are said to be the worse options.

Written for FoE by Dominic Hogg of the environmental research and consulting firm Eunomia, the report examines the climate impacts of "energy from waste," a term that encompasses a broad range of technologies that directly generates energy from waste.

A standard waste to energy incinerator, the study reveals, emits a third more greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, for the electricity they produce than gas fired power stations.

According to the report, electricity-only incinerators in UK emit 33 per cent more fossil CO2 than gas fired power stations. It is predicted that such incinerators in 2020 will emit 78 per cent more fossil CO2 than gas fired power stations and only around 5 per cent less than coal-fired power stations.

"The research findings dispel the myth that waste incineration is good in terms of climate change. Waste and energy planners should access the report to guide them in critically appraising technologies that are being touted as magic solutions to the perennial waste and energy problems," said Manny Calonzo of the Global Alliance for Incinerators Alternatives (GAIA).

"By combining waste prevention, reduction and reuse of discards with recycling and composting, communities can substantially reduce emissions of persistent organic pollutants and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane," he said.

The FoE report asserts that it makes no sense to promote "energy from waste" technologies when there are better waste management options available, emphasizing that reusing and recycling are better in terms of climate and resource conservation.

The report recommends the phasing out of residual waste as the best thing to do from an environmental point of view, ensuring that all discards are reusable, recyclable or compostable. Residual waste is the waste that remains after reusing, recycling or composting.

The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 bans the incineration of municipal, biomedical and hazardous wastes, which posses emits toxic and poisonous fumes. While the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 requires the adoption of best environmental practices in ecological waste management excluding incineration.