Whither Waste to Resources?
The last 2 years have delivered momentous changes in the perception of “waste” in the wider circle of Government largely as a result of background shifts based on now incontrovertible evidence of our species induced climate impacts. The economic connectors to the way supply chains will have to re-price carbon (aka Stern Review) and(most recently)the attention on food as an area of low hanging yield in terms of behaviour change (culminating in WRAPs recent profiling efforts) have at last produced a climate that “something has to give”.
How regrettable then that DEFRA was unable to lead its charge more forcefully 10 years ago. This is a result, one suspects, of lack of cross Departmental buy-in on how the “waste” issue might connect with that wider Carbon Agenda. Just as that interface is now appreciated in Government-particularly in relation to Agriculture, biofuels, distributed energy and the scale of the Investment opportunities and challenges, local government is consequently in danger of climbing aboard the wrong train to the wrong destination. How so?
I propose in 2 key areas……..
First we have at last built a head of steam up around the funding of Local collection infrastructure for materials recovery-largely funded in the form of around 100million plus containers plus trucks and infrastructure from Landfill Tax funding flows. Great! The carbon hierarchy shows that with few exceptions recycling impacts most on carbon footprints. On the disposal side however the laggardly pace of the Landfill tax and the slow build up to getting over £1.6 Bn of PFI funds onto the table threaten a collision between the twin trains of Waste Disposal Authority and Private sector investment.
By 2011/12 Landfill gate fees will be £85/te plus-at or well above the threshold level
for innovative “distributed “ technologies such as anaerobic/gasifier/thermal systems operating at throughputs of 50000 tonne multiples.
This is now prompting a potential upsurge of Planning applications for localised combined heat and power systems reinforced by probable doubling of electricity, gas and heat costs between 2006 and 2012,fuelled on commercial and industrially (as well as agriculturally) sourced biomass. By 2015 the capacity of such plants-underpinned by the twin spikes of growing landfill scarcity and removal of around 35% of the UK electrical generation base from life expired dirty coal and nuclear-could well exceed the biomass availability in those sources.As a result these capital intensive high utilisation technologies will drive down gate fees to secure feedstock-itself under threat due to waste minimisation becoming a cultural norm and improved design processes. Against this backdrop those WDAs who sign up to 30 year PFI indexed linked price escalation clauses could come seriously unstuck.You have only to look to the current German market to see the same scenario playing out (albeit for different reasons and their high tech landfill replacement cycle occurring 10 years before ours)
The second area where any National shift in Political thinking could be to the serious detriment of achieving strategic investment benefits lies in the advantages of Regionally based thinking for the replacement of our “waste”, water and energy infrastructure. Those changes are powered by the need to shift to drastically lowered carbon impacts over the whole life cycle for materials, water, electricity, heat, gas and cooling. This is needed to connect household with industrial/commercial delivery (something I suggest above is absent in waste)as well as reconcile how centralised networks can accommodate some-or a lot-of small scale decentralised, local combined heat and power integration. RDAs are the logical bodies to assist in this appreciation of the scale economies, locational drivers and logistics implications.
Metropolitan, County and District Authorities will in turn have their hands full communicating and placating Public perception of this sea change shift of how so called utility services are re-engineered for the low carbon age against their wider priorities for personal mobility, fuel poverty, employment, innovation and industrial regeneration. The Northwest share of that re-investment challenge is at least £20bn over the next 20 years but lets make sure we don’t get onto a train which is about to economically as well as technologically overtaken by wider events.
Peter T Jones
[...] Whither Waste to Resources? [...]
In essence, from what I have read and heard from Peter Jones, is positive.
Which all will not agree with in part a smaller scale network of modularised gasifers; its a large step forward in accepting large scale, PFI 25-30year funded EfW/CHP facilities are not the answer.
Peter is a strong supporter of 50,000Tpa size Anaerobic Digestion decentralised network of modules creating CHP from separated food waste, alongside maximised recycling/composting. Many might suggest huge common ground here.
Of contention, “gasification”. Gasification systems have moved a long way from Novelis to smaller Energos type modules. Whilst the products of gasification (syngas, CHP) are of value; waste chars /emissions quality might still be an issue for many; along with the % of waste that could still be easily recycled at the kerb, or separated mechanically. Areas for discussion. Recycling /composting is not enough and WDA targets should be looking at 60% or 70% + targets before contracting on set tonnages to smaller goalkeeper technologies such as MBT/MHT and plasma modules.
For myself, I’d be reasonably happy/reassured if Peter were to shift slightly technologically by substituting small gasification modules with the next generation of gasplasma (gasification with plasma polishing of syngas) or plasma gasification modules to ensure BAT,cleaner emissions and syngas quality, still local DE CHP; but zero chars. 50,000Tpa modules sound about right. A local network of AD and plasma modules for CHP sounds are far more pragmatic and acceptable solution than the current PFI financed EfW/CHPincinerator led centralised model/contracts entered into by Defra/WDAs and large waste companies.
Rob Whittle, NAIL2, Norfolk