Is Energy from Waste renewable?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Back in the mid-2000s, a government-level discussion was entered into regarding Energy from Waste plants and whether - in reality - deriving energy from waste is actually renewable? And, whilst understanding of and the infrastructure surrounding renewable energy and, in particular, Energy from Waste plants has developed significantly over the last decade, the debate around EfW still exists. Let’s explore: is Energy from Waste renewable?

Is Energy from Waste renewable?

Waste management and waste disposal are sensitive and highly complex issues that affect homes, businesses and individuals in various ways and, in relation to the subject of renewable energy, spark an interesting debate; many feel that deriving energy from waste and EfW plants isn’t renewable. Why?

Defining renewable energy: renewable energy is defined as energy from a source that is not depleted when used. Examples of this are resources such as wind, hydropower (water) or solar power which are considered abundant resources.

Note that the above are also naturally occurring energy sources.

The argument against Energy from Waste as renewable energy

This is where the debate really begins - right at the source of the definition - as many argue that human derived waste, such as municipal solid waste (MSW) used in EfW plant (non-recyclable waste) are not abundant nor non-depleting; both being arguably finite; especially relating to MSW, non-recyclable waste which is largely made up of plastics.

Herein lies another key component of the non-renewable debate; plastics and fossil fuels - the incineration of MSW involves the generation of ‘climate-relevant emissions’ which are mainly emissions of CO2 as well as N2O, NOx and NH3 (ammonia).

What’s more, when we consider how plastic is made, we must acknowledge the release of CO2 emissions in plastics manufacturing and therefore the impact of this on the environment, particularly as reducing the impact of greenhouse gases on our environment is one of the key reasons why, globally, the transition to renewable energy sources is so pertinent.

Within this argument, then, is the overarching point that - rather than creating energy from non-recyclable waste - we must concentrate our efforts on reducing our reliance on plastics, in particular single-use plastics - and create as little waste as possible?

The argument for Energy from Waste as renewable energy

Where prevention of non-recyclable waste generation is not possible, Energy from Waste plants serve to repurpose waste in a meaningful way, turning waste into energy used to heat and power our homes & businesses which, in turn, significantly reduces reliance on landfill and CO2 emissions.

What’s more, modern Energy from Waste plants are subject to a number of restrictions and legislations that require the ‘scrubbing’ - cleaning the gases generated during the waste incineration process - so that what is emitted from the stack of the plant is, in reality, very clean and now considered a low carbon energy.

The argument for energy from waste as a renewable energy source, then, hinges on EfW plants providing a meaningful way to recycle otherwise non-recyclable materials as usable energy that reduces reliance on landfill and therefore CO2 emissions.

And, whilst a zero waste society is incredibly hard to achieve, waste is extremely likely to always be available and abundant.

The verdict

So, is energy from waste renewable?

It really depends on which side of the argument you’re on; if you believe that the problem lies within the concept of waste itself and, in particular, plastics; our focus as a society needing to lie on waste prevention rather than waste treatment - i.e. living in a zero waste or significantly low waste society - then you’ll naturally consider Energy from Waste as non-renewable.

However, if you feel that waste is a natural byproduct of human life and we must find economically and environmentally sustainable ways to treat & use that waste, then you’ll view Energy from Waste as renewable.