tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/waste-to-energy-incineration-79689/articlesWaste-to-energy incineration – The Conversation2022-09-13T10:43:04Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1900332022-09-13T10:43:04Z2022-09-13T10:43:04ZNet zero: Copenhagen’s failure to meet its 2025 target casts doubt on other major climate plans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483989/original/file-20220912-18-o132tt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5346%2C3561&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/copenhagen-denmark-may-23-2022-cyclist-2164550851">Michele Ursi/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The city of Copenhagen, often celebrated as <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/discovering-hygge-in-copenhagen/worlds-greenest-city/">one of the world’s greenest</a> for its <a href="https://theconversation.com/cycle-lanes-blamed-for-urban-congestion-heres-the-reality-173388">cycling culture</a> and other initiatives, recently <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/copenhagens-dream-of-being-carbon-neutral-by-2025-go-up-in-smoke/">defaulted</a> on its pledge to become carbon-neutral by <a href="https://international.kk.dk/carbon-neutral-capital">2025</a>. This early failure in the global race to net zero emissions (a balance between CO₂ emitted and absorbed) may foreshadow backtracking by other target-setters, indicating that pledges to cease contributing to climate change demand greater scrutiny.</p>
<p>Since 2012, when Copenhagen launched its plan to become the first carbon-neutral city in the world by 2025, the city has enjoyed <a href="https://stateofgreen.com/en/news/copenhagen-recognized-for-climate-leadership/">international recognition</a> and a significant <a href="https://www.visitdenmark.com/press/latest-news/copenhagen-become-carbon-neutral-capital-2025">branding boost</a>. It expects to reduce emissions by <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/copenhagens-dream-of-being-carbon-neutral-by-2025-go-up-in-smoke/">80%</a> by, for instance, switching its power and district heating systems to <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjKi9iew__5AhUNX_EDHTxxAX8QFnoECC4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fkk.sites.itera.dk%2Fapps%2Fkk_pub2%2Fpdf%2F2062_129d045097bb.pdf&usg=AOvVaw239cPtV1e2QhKlp29r_tWX">biomass, wind and solar</a>, renovating buildings to make them <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/apr/12/copenhagen-push-carbon-neutral-2025">energy efficient</a> and improving public transport.</p>
<p>The remaining emissions were supposed to be mopped up by installing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at the local waste-to-energy plant. This would remove CO₂ from the smokestack before it is emitted to the atmosphere, isolating it for later underground storage.</p>
<p>But at the beginning of August 2022, the semi-public utility <a href="https://a-r-c.dk/arc-soeger-ikke-den-statslige-co2-fangstpulje/">Amager Resource Center</a> (ARC) which manages the plant announced it was ineligible for national CCS funding. This funding, it argued, would otherwise have enabled them to capture CO₂ generated by burning the city’s waste. And so, <a href="https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/koebenhavn-opgiver-droemmen-om-co2-neutral-i-2025">Copenhagen</a> has given up on its pledge.</p>
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<img alt="Stepped rows of apartments on a hill with vegetation growing on their roofs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483983/original/file-20220912-5769-n00fbm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A housing estate in Copenhagen with green roofs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/copenhagen-denmark-september-22-2019-vm-1515049631">PHG Pictures/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Cities such as <a href="https://carbonneutralcities.org/cities/glasgow/">Glasgow</a> and <a href="https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en/think-sustainably/making-helsinki-carbon-neutral">Helsinki</a>, countries like <a href="https://www.government.se/495f60/contentassets/883ae8e123bc4e42aa8d59296ebe0478/the-swedish-climate-policy-framework.pdf">Sweden</a> and the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy">UK</a>, and companies including <a href="https://about.ikea.com/en/sustainability/becoming-climate-positive">IKEA</a> and <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/10/apple-charges-forward-to-2030-carbon-neutral-goal-adding-9-gigawatts-of-clean-power-and-doubling-supplier-commitments/">Apple</a> have made similar <a href="https://zerotracker.net/">pledges</a> to be net zero by 2030, 2045 or 2050. This gives the impression that sufficient measures to address climate change are in the pipeline.</p>
<p>Yet various <a href="https://newclimate.org/sites/default/files/2022-06/CorporateClimateResponsibilityMonitor2022.pdf">reports</a> and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2021.2013155">studies</a> suggest that these pledges often skimp on important details, by failing to include progress reports or specify the emissions they target. Critics have warned that the idea of net zero may only serve to <a href="https://theconversation.com/net-zero-emissions-targets-are-everywhere-we-need-to-sort-the-genuine-from-the-greenwash-150127">greenwash reputations</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-scientists-concept-of-net-zero-is-a-dangerous-trap-157368">diminish the urgency</a> around decarbonisation.</p>
<p>Copenhagen is unlikely to be the last to renege on its net zero pledge. The city’s example of relying on immature technology and external funding indicates how similar climate plans might disintegrate in future.</p>
<h2>Faith in technology</h2>
<p>Copenhagen’s experience highlights two problems which could scupper other net zero strategies. First, the city’s reliance on immature technology.</p>
<p>Copenhagen’s plan to reach net zero emissions did not always include CCS. When the city announced its 2025 goal in 2012, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-10-15/denmark-denies-vattenfall-s-vedsted-carbon-capture-application">the Danish parliament</a> had just rejected an application from Swedish energy company Vattenfall to deploy CCS at its coal power plant in northern Jutland. <a href="https://www.ft.dk/samling/20111/almdel/KEB/bilag/16/1031740/index.htm?/samling/20111/almdel/KEB/bilag/16/1031740/index.htm">Danish politicians</a> wanted to monitor experiences with CCS abroad before allowing it in Denmark.</p>
<p>Instead, in 2012 Copenhagen’s net zero plan relied on the <a href="https://kk.sites.itera.dk/apps/kk_pub2/index.asp?mode=detalje&id=930">expectation</a> of reducing the energy-to-waste plant’s emissions by recycling more plastic waste and increasing the ratio of organic waste (since it would count as carbon neutral). But when the third and final road map for Copenhagen’s transition was presented in 2021, it included a shortfall of 430,000 tonnes of CO₂. </p>
<p>Alongside other measures, CCS was – in line with <a href="https://stateofgreen.com/en/solutions/taking-a-large-chunk-out-of-denmarks-co2-emissions-with-ccs/">new national policy</a> – supposed to be installed at the plant to bridge the gap by cutting <a href="https://www.kk.dk/dagsordener-og-referater/%C3%98konomiudvalget/m%C3%B8de-10082021/referat/punkt-21">390,000 tonnes of CO₂</a>. The utility managing the plant suggested the technology could capture up to <a href="https://a-r-c.dk/app/uploads/2021/02/C4-press_release.pdf">500,000 tonnes</a>.</p>
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<img alt="A sloped building with two chimneys." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483979/original/file-20220912-12-3i4hdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The Amager Bakke plant generates heat and electricity from burning waste.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amager-bakke-hill-slope-copenhill-heat-2189833277">Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Copenhagen is not alone in including CCS in its climate strategy. Neighbouring capitals <a href="https://bellona.org/news/ccs/2022-03-oslo-leading-by-example-worlds-first-co2-capture-and-storage-on-waste-incinerator-to-become-reality-in-2026">Oslo</a> and <a href="https://international.stockholm.se/globalassets/rapporter/climate-action-plan-2020-2023_ta.pdf">Stockholm</a> expect to reach net zero with it too. <a href="https://www.regeringen.dk/aktuelt/publikationer-og-aftaletekster/klimaprogram-2021/">Denmark’s national climate strategy</a> expects CCS to cut between 3.5 million tonnes and 8 million tonnes of CO₂ by 2030.</p>
<p>Despite the faith invested in it, carbon capture technology has a poor track record. A new <a href="https://ieefa.org/resources/carbon-capture-remains-risky-investment-achieving-decarbonisation">study</a> by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis think tank found that CCS projects tend to underperform on their emission reduction targets. </p>
<p>Dedicated investment in carbon storage technology has been sluggish too. As a result, CCS is largely used to <a href="https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-gas/world-cannot-meet-climate-targets-relying-carbon-capture-and-storage/">extend</a> the shelf life of fossil fuels, as captured CO₂ can be injected into oil wells to extract additional oil. These and other issues were <a href="https://www.kk.dk/dagsordener-og-referater/%C3%98konomiudvalget/m%C3%B8de-10082021/referat/punkt-21">reported</a> to municipal leaders in Copenhagen as substantial risks to the 2025 goal.</p>
<h2>Lack of accountability</h2>
<p>The second problem concerns the question of accountability. Who is ultimately responsible for Copenhagen’s failure to meet its net zero target? When the utility ARC first <a href="https://a-r-c.dk/app/uploads/2021/02/C4-press_release.pdf">announced</a> its plan to deploy CCS at its waste-to-energy plant in 2021, it counted on external funding and a supportive policy framework to do so. </p>
<p>Now, the head of the city’s technology and environment committee <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/copenhagens-dream-of-being-carbon-neutral-by-2025-go-up-in-smoke/">criticises</a> national politicians for knowingly setting financial criteria which the utility cannot meet, hindering the city’s road to climate neutrality. And so, the baton of responsibility is passed.</p>
<p>Emissions targets must be based on credible measures which are within the powers of those pledging them. There must be clear ways to assign accountability if those plans fail. When organisations boast of pledges which ultimately depend on the actions of others to succeed, the public is right to question their validity.</p>
<p>Copenhagen’s mayor <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/copenhagens-dream-of-being-carbon-neutral-by-2025-go-up-in-smoke/">suggested</a> the city may still reach climate neutrality in 2026, 2027 or 2028. Yet this case shows how easily net zero plans can fall apart. </p>
<p>It reveals the dangers of the current uncoordinated approach to reaching net zero, in which every organisation is free to set its own eye-catching pledge without fully accounting for its success. What we need is for political and corporate decision-makers to present credible plans for the necessary deep decarbonisation of society.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kirstine Lund Christiansen receives funding from the Independent Research Fund Denmark. She is affiliated with the Danish climate movement. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Inge-Merete Hougaard receives funding from FORMAS and the Velux Foundation. She is affiliated with the Danish climate movement. </span></em></p>The Danish capital reneged on its net zero target after an incinerator failed to secure state aid.Kirstine Lund Christiansen, PhD Fellow, Political Ecology, University of CopenhagenInge-Merete Hougaard, Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Ecology, Lund UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1738252022-01-12T13:37:49Z2022-01-12T13:37:49ZWhat is wishcycling? Two waste experts explain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440348/original/file-20220111-13-xbfbme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=45%2C36%2C6031%2C4008&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When in doubt, throw it out – but not in the recycling bin. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/red-recycling-bins-overflowing-with-rubbish-on-the-royalty-free-image/1347945400">Basak Gurbuz Derman/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wishcycling is putting something in the recycling bin and hoping it will be recycled, even if there is little evidence to confirm this assumption.</p>
<p>Hope is central to wishcycling. People may not be sure the system works, but they choose to believe that if they recycle an object, it will become a new product rather than being buried in a landfill, burned or dumped. </p>
<p>The U.S. recycling industry was launched in the 1970s in response to <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-1970s-created-recycling-we-know-it-180967179/">public concern over litter and waste</a>. The growth of recycling and collection programs changed consumers’ view of waste: It didn’t seem entirely bad if it could lead to the creation of new products via recycling.</p>
<p>Pro-recycling messaging from <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/recycling-reconsidered">governments, corporations and environmentalists</a> promoted and reinforced recycling behavior. This was especially true for plastics that had <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics#are-all-types-of-plastic-equally-easy-to-recycle">resin identification codes</a> inside a triangle of “chasing arrows,” indicating that the item was recyclable – even though that was usually far from the truth. In fact, only resins #1 (polyethylene terephthalate, or PET) and #2 (high-density polyethylene, or HDPE) are relatively easy to recycle and have viable markets. The others are hard to recycle, so <a href="https://www.wastedive.com/news/what-chinese-import-policies-mean-for-all-50-states/510751/">some jurisdictions don’t even collect them</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="ID codes for 7 major categories of plastic resin surrounded by 'chasing arrow' triangles" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440296/original/file-20220111-25-blofkk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=467&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The plastics industry developed codes in 1988 to identify categories of plastic resins that products were made from. Surrounding them with ‘chasing arrows’ wrongly suggested that they all were recyclable, when in fact many communities only processed the more common types. In 2013, the graphic was changed to a solid triangle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/recycle-icons-with-numbers-and-letter-royalty-free-illustration/1306691434">iStock via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Wishcycling <a href="https://discardstudies.com/2021/02/15/on-wishcycling/">entered public consciousness</a> in 2018 when China launched <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-chinas-crackdown-on-foreign-garbage-force-wealthy-countries-to-recycle-more-of-their-own-waste-81440">Operation National Sword</a>, a sweeping set of restrictions on imports of most waste materials from abroad. Over the preceding 20 years, China had purchased millions of tons of scrap metal, paper and plastic from wealthy nations for recycling, giving those countries an <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-plastic-waste-crisis-is-an-opportunity-for-the-us-to-get-serious-about-recycling-at-home-93254">easy and cheap option for managing waste materials</a>.</p>
<p>The China scrap restrictions created enormous waste backups in the U.S., where governments had under-invested in recycling systems. Consumers saw that recycling was <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-more-developing-countries-reject-plastic-waste-exports-wealthy-nations-seek-solutions-at-home-117163">not as reliable or environmentally friendly</a> as previously believed. </p>
<p>An <a href="https://discardstudies.com/2021/02/15/on-wishcycling/">unlikely coalition of actors in the recycling sector</a> coined the term “wishcycling” in an effort to educate the public about effective recycling. As they emphasize, wishcycling can be harmful.</p>
<p>Contaminating the waste stream with material that is not actually recyclable makes the sorting process more costly because it requires extra labor. Wishcycling also <a href="https://www.wastedive.com/news/plastic-bags-covid-19-coronavirus-reusable-ban-suspension-california-massachusetts/579019/">damages sorting systems and equipment</a> and depresses an already fragile trading market.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Graphic from Asheville, N.C. showing items not to recycle" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/440292/original/file-20220111-18741-1jq2rve.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many communities are trying to educate consumers about what not to recycle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.ashevillenc.gov/service/what-can-i-recycle/">City of Asheville, N.C.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://mediaroom.wm.com/the-dangers-of-wishcycling/">Huge waste management companies</a> and <a href="https://sustainablecorvallis.org/action-teams/waste-prevention/recycling-block-captain-program/mobile-wishcycling/">small cities and towns</a> have launched educational campaigns on this issue. Their mantra is “<a href="https://penguinrandomhousehighereducation.com/book/?isbn=9780143135678">When in doubt, throw it out</a>.” In other words, only place material that truly can be recycled in your bin. This message is hard for many environmentalists to hear, but it cuts costs for recyclers and local governments. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>We also believe it’s important to understand that the global waste crisis wasn’t created by consumers who failed to wash mayonnaise jars or separate out plastic bags. <a href="https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9780745687391">The biggest drivers are global</a>. They include capitalistic reliance on consumption, strong international waste trade incentives, a lack of standardized recycling policies and the devaluation of used resources. To make further progress, governments and businesses will have to think more about <a href="https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview">designing products with disposal and reuse in mind</a>, <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/">reducing consumption of single-use products</a> and making massive <a href="https://www.wastedive.com/news/biden-infrastructure-investment-jobs-act-recycling/609882/">investments in recycling infrastructure</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173825/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tossing something into your recycling bin that can’t be processed does more harm than good.Jessica Heiges, PhD Candidate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, BerkeleyKate O'Neill, Professor of Global Environmental Politics, University of California, BerkeleyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1738282022-01-04T13:06:15Z2022-01-04T13:06:15ZWhat is pay-as-you-throw? A waste expert explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438700/original/file-20211221-21-o26dgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C0%2C8621%2C5457&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When people have to pay for every bag of trash they throw out, they produce less waste.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/pile-of-black-plastic-garbage-bags-royalty-free-image/1183918073">Mint Images RF via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Pay-as-you-throw is a policy that charges people for the amount of trash they toss out. It’s also sometimes called variable-rate pricing or pay-as-you-waste. </p>
<p>Many cities and towns around the world, including over 7,000 in the U.S., have <a href="https://www.biocycle.net/payt-paves-way-zero-waste/">pay-as-you-throw waste policies</a>. Examples include Seattle, Berkeley, Austin and Portland, Maine.</p>
<p>Large cities often require residents to purchase special trash bags or stickers so that they pay separately for every bag of trash. Or people may have to sign up for a certain level of waste collection service, which limits how much garbage they can set out on the curb. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Purple garbage bag printed with information about the PAYT program in Waterville, Maine." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438693/original/file-20211221-21-47i0gj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=748&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A pay-as-you-throw trash bag for the city of Waterville, Maine. Local grocery and convenience stores sell the bags in two sizes: large (30 gallons, $2.60 per bag) and small (15 gallons, $1.63 per bag). All trash put out for collection must be in the purple bags.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.waterville-me.gov/publicworks/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2014/08/PAYT-Bag-Image.jpg">City of Waterville</a></span>
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<p>Pay-as-you-throw is one of local governments’ most effective tools for reducing waste, controlling waste disposal costs and giving residents an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.001">incentive to participate in recycling and composting programs</a>. Once households begin paying directly for waste services, they tend to rapidly reduce how much they throw away. In Massachusetts, for example, towns with pay-as-you-throw systems generated an average of <a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/map-how-much-trash-did-we-throw-out-in-2020/download">1,239 pounds of trash per household in 2020</a>, compared with 1,756 pounds per household in towns that didn’t use this approach – a 30% reduction.</p>
<p>Such a shift can mean that people recycle and compost more, so the total volume of the waste stream remains relatively stable. But over time, pay-as-you-throw communities tend to see a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1006/jema.1997.0161">decline in the total amount discarded, including recycling and compost</a>. </p>
<p>This strategy can be controversial at the start. Even though everyone already pays for trash collection and disposal, either through their rent or local property taxes, pay-as-you-throw can feel like a new tax when it is broken out and charged separately. People also worry about pay-as-you-throw programs encouraging illegal dumping, although this <a href="https://nerc.org/news-and-updates/blog/nerc-blog/2015/01/20/pay-as-you-throw-debate-goes-on-part-2">hasn’t been observed in practice</a>. </p>
<p><iframe id="BHPnD" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/BHPnD/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>A more serious concern is that pay-as-you-throw programs, if not managed thoughtfully, can be costly for low-income households. To prevent this, many communities offer discounts or free bags for elderly and low-income residents, and most keep their recycling rates lower than trash rates. This approach usually keeps costs affordable. </p>
<p>Solid waste management has a big impact on the environment. Landfills and incinerators generate <a href="https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas">greenhouse gases</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abae9f">toxic pollutants</a>. So does transporting heavy waste materials from urban centers to distant disposal sites. </p>
<p>Recycling is a better option for some materials, but many items that go into collection bins <a href="https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2020/03/13/fix-recycling-america/">are never actually recycled</a>. Research shows that by spurring shifts in consumption, local pay-as-you-throw programs improve waste management by encouraging everyone to generate less trash in the first place.</p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters?nl=science&source=inline-science-corona-important">Get The Conversation’s most important coronavirus headlines, weekly in a science newsletter</a></em>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173828/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lily Baum Pollans does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When governments want people to do less of something, one way to make that happen is to charge them for doing it. That’s the idea behind pay-as-you-throw waste policies.Lily Baum Pollans, Assistant Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Hunter CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1482502020-11-05T19:08:18Z2020-11-05T19:08:18ZCan we safely burn waste to make fuel like they do in Denmark? Well, it’s complicated<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367411/original/file-20201104-17-107htgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4833%2C2840&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Amager Bakke power plant in Copenhagen, Denmark</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When it comes to handling the waste crisis in Australia, options are limited: we either export our waste or bury it. But to achieve <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/5b86c9f8-074e-4d66-ab11-08bbc69da240/files/national-waste-policy-action-plan-2019.pdf">current national targets</a>, policy-makers are increasingly asking if we can instead safely burn waste as fuel. </p>
<p>Proposals for waste incinerators are being considered in the Greater Sydney region, but these have been lambasted by <a href="https://www.catefaehrmann.org/greens_introduce_bill_to_ban_waste_to_energy_incinerators">the Greens</a> and <a href="https://www.justinfield.org/smell_of_burning_rubbish_to_hit_nsw_parliament">independent</a> members of the NSW parliament, who cite public health concerns. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://wastemanagementreview.com.au/new-policy-rules-out-incineration-of-waste/%22%22">the ACT government</a> has recently put a blanket ban on these facilities. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-garbage-ban-upends-us-recycling-is-it-time-to-reconsider-incineration-98206">China’s garbage ban upends US recycling – is it time to reconsider incineration?</a>
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<p>But are their concerns based on evidence? In our <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abae9f">systematic review</a> of the scientific literature, we could identify only 19 papers among 269 relevant studies — less than 10% — that could help address our question on whether waste-to-energy incinerators could harm our health. </p>
<p>This means the answer remains unclear, and we therefore call for a cautious approach to waste-to-energy technology.</p>
<h2>One person, one year, 500 kilograms of waste</h2>
<p>Australia’s waste crisis began in 2018 when <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-chinas-crackdown-on-foreign-garbage-force-wealthy-countries-to-recycle-more-of-their-own-waste-81440">China greatly reduced</a> how much waste it <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-recycling-ban-throws-australia-into-a-very-messy-waste-crisis-95522">imported</a>. China’s waste market was handling <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-garbage-ban-upends-us-recycling-is-it-time-to-reconsider-incineration-98206">about half of the world’s recyclable materials</a>, including Australia’s. </p>
<p>On average, Australia produces roughly 500 kilograms of municipal (residential and commercial) waste each year. This aligns with <a href="https://data.oecd.org/waste/municipal-waste.htm">the OECD average</a>. </p>
<p>New Zealand in comparison, despite its strong environmental stance, is among the worst offenders for producing waste in any OECD country. It produces almost <a href="https://data.oecd.org/waste/municipal-waste.htm">800 kilograms</a> per person per year. </p>
<p>Now, most recyclable or reusable waste in <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-recycling-crisis-in-australia-easy-solutions-to-a-hard-problem-95231">Australia</a> goes to landfill. This poses <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abae9f">a potential risk to both climate and health</a> with the emission of potent greenhouse gases such as methane and the leaching of heavy metals such as lead into the groundwater. As a result, local governments may want to seek alternative options. </p>
<h2>Burning waste in Denmark</h2>
<p>“Waste-to-energy” incineration is when solid waste is sorted and burned as “refuse-derived” fuel to generate electricity. This <a href="https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/copenhill-waste-to-energy-plant-how-hot-is-it/">can replace fossil fuel such as coal</a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-recycling-crisis-in-australia-easy-solutions-to-a-hard-problem-95231">The recycling crisis in Australia: easy solutions to a hard problem</a>
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<p>The technology is <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MUNW">on the rise among OECD countries</a>. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49877318">Denmark</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-garbage-ban-upends-us-recycling-is-it-time-to-reconsider-incineration-98206">Japan</a>, for example, rely on waste-to-energy incineration to reduce their dependency on landfills and reach carbon neutrality.</p>
<p>In fact, Denmark’s waste-to-energy incinerator, Amager Bakke, is so well known it has become a <a href="https://www.copenhill.dk/en/">tourist attraction</a>, and is celebrated as one of the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49877318">world’s cleanest</a> waste-to-energy incinerators.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pOqocj2h6EM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Amager Bakke provides electricity to around 680,000 people.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Every day, around 300 trucks filled with non-recyclable municipal solid waste are sent to Amager Bakke. </p>
<p>This fuels a furnace that runs at 1,000°C, turning water into steam. And this steam provides electricity and heat to around 100,000 households. Generally, people in Denmark warmly <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49877318">welcome it</a>. </p>
<h2>So what’s the problem?</h2>
<p>In Australia and <a href="https://theconversation.com/garbage-in-garbage-out-incinerating-trash-is-not-an-effective-way-to-protect-the-climate-or-reduce-waste-84182">the US</a>, community reception towards the building of new incinerators has been cold. </p>
<p>The big concern is burning waste may release chemicals that can harm our health, such as nitrogen oxide and dioxin. Exposure to high levels of dioxin <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dioxins-and-their-effects-on-human-health">can lead to</a> skin lesions, an impaired immune system and reproductive issues.</p>
<p>However, control measures, such as the technologically advanced filters used in Amager Bakke, can bring <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-garbage-ban-upends-us-recycling-is-it-time-to-reconsider-incineration-98206">the amount of dioxin released to near zero</a>.</p>
<p>Another concern is that implementing waste-to-energy incineration may <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-garbage-ban-upends-us-recycling-is-it-time-to-reconsider-incineration-98206">go against recycling schemes</a>, due to the potential for an <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-municipal-waste-to-energy-incineration-is-not-the-answer-to-nzs-plastic-waste-crisis-126824">increased demand for non-recyclable plastics</a> as fuel. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A truck dumping waste to get incinerated" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367415/original/file-20201104-15-194ypj1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Burning waste may release substances that can harm our health, such as nitrogen oxide and dioxin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Supply of this plastic could come from the waning fossil fuel industry. This would work against the goal of establishing a “circular economy” that reuses and recycles goods where possible. </p>
<p><a href="http://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1304371/FULLTEXT01.pdf">An analysis from 2019</a> found that to meet European Union circular economy goals, Nordic countries would need to increase their recycling, and significantly shift away from incineration. </p>
<p>This concern is understandable given <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinas-garbage-ban-upends-us-recycling-is-it-time-to-reconsider-incineration-98206">incinerators operate cleanest when fuelled at full capacity</a>. This is because a higher temperature means a more complete combustion — a bit like less ash and smoke coming off of a well-built campfire. </p>
<h2>A lack of evidence</h2>
<p>As with many policy solutions, determining the safety of burning waste is complicated. </p>
<p>Our review found a lack of evidence to fully reject well-designed and operated facilities. However, based on the limited number of health studies we found, we support a precautionary planning approach to waste-to-energy proposals. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/garbage-in-garbage-out-incinerating-trash-is-not-an-effective-way-to-protect-the-climate-or-reduce-waste-84182">Garbage in, garbage out: Incinerating trash is not an effective way to protect the climate or reduce waste</a>
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<p>This means we need appropriate health risk assessment and life cycle analyses built into the approval process for each and every incinerator proposed in the near-future.</p>
<p>The studies we found were all performed in the last 20 years. None were from the Nordic countries, however, where waste-to-energy incineration has been in use for many decades. </p>
<p>The reasons for the Nordic embrace of this technology are speculative. One reason may be that their level of economic development allows large capital investment for safe, state-of-the-art design and operation.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mechanical claw grabbing a huge pile of mixed waste." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367420/original/file-20201104-15-1u8uvjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Waste incineration goes against the goals of a circular economy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>If councils are determined to pursue waste-to-energy incineration, we suggest they prioritise specific applications. </p>
<p>For example, we found the process with the most favourable life-cycle assessment (the most beneficial to health compared to traditional fossil fuel use) was the “co-incineration” of refuse-derived fuel for industrial cement. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-african-study-highlights-growing-number-of-landfill-sites-and-health-risks-141890">South African study highlights growing number of landfill sites, and health risks</a>
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<p>Currently, cement kilns are mostly fuelled by burning coal, and it’s difficult to reach the high temperatures required with traditional renewables. This means substituting coal for refuse-derived fuel could reduce the industry’s dependency on coal, when renewables aren’t an option. </p>
<p>Another solution is to focus instead on <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/d523f4e9-d958-466b-9fd1-3b7d6283f006/files/national-waste-policy-2018.pdf">the waste hierarchy</a>. This means first minimising waste production, <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-ignores-energy-efficiency-burns-money-12">maximising energy efficiency</a> and maximising recycling and reuse of waste materials.</p>
<p>So, while we wait for more knowledge on how waste-to-energy incineration may affect our health, let’s focus on improving our waste hierarchy, rather than exporting our waste to feed <a href="https://theconversation.com/south-african-study-highlights-growing-number-of-landfill-sites-and-health-risks-141890">a global crisis</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148250/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Cole-Hunter receives funding (fellowship) from the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Centre of Research Excellence.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ana Porta Cubas is employed by the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christine Cowie received funding from the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Magill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Waste-to-energy incinerators could help Australia deal with its mounting waste crisis, but burning rubbish may come with risks to public health.Thomas Cole-Hunter, Research fellow, Queensland University of TechnologyAna Porta Cubas, Knowledge and Translation Broker- Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), University of SydneyChristina Magill, Senior Natural Hazards Risk Scientist, GNS ScienceChristine Cowie, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Air Quality & Health Research and Evaluation, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney; Senior Research Fellow, South West Sydney Clinical School, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1286302019-12-10T19:00:56Z2019-12-10T19:00:56ZClimate explained: seven reasons to be wary of waste-to-energy proposals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306056/original/file-20191210-95135-1h72bee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many developed countries already have significant waste-to-energy operations and therefore less material going to landfill.</span> </figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287622/original/file-20190811-144878-bvgm9l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/nz/topics/climate-explained-74664">Climate Explained</a></strong> is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.</em> </p>
<p><em>If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz</em></p>
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<p><strong>I was in Switzerland recently and discovered that they haven’t had any landfill since the early 2000s, because all of their waste is either recycled or incinerated to produce electricity. How “green” is it to incinerate waste in order to produce electricity? Is it something New Zealand should consider, so that 1) we have no more landfill, and 2) we can replace our fossil-fuel power stations with power stations that incinerate waste?</strong></p>
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<p>Burning rubbish to generate electricity or heat sounds great: you get rid of all your waste and also get seemingly “sustainable” energy. What could be better? </p>
<p>Many developed countries already have significant “waste-to-energy” incineration plants and therefore less material going to landfill (although the ash has to be landfilled). These plants often have recycling industries attached to them, so that only non-recyclables end up in the furnace. If it is this good, why the opposition?</p>
<p>Here are seven reasons why caution is needed when considering waste-to-energy incineration plants.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-municipal-waste-to-energy-incineration-is-not-the-answer-to-nzs-plastic-waste-crisis-126824">Why municipal waste-to-energy incineration is not the answer to NZ's plastic waste crisis</a>
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<h2>Stifling innovation and waste reduction</h2>
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<li><p>Waste-to-energy plants require a high-volume, <a href="http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert/sofos/Rodriguez_thesis.pdf">guaranteed waste stream</a> for about 25 years to make them economically viable. If waste-to-energy companies divert large amounts of waste away from landfills, they need to somehow get more waste to maintain their expensive plants. For example, <a href="https://www.thelocal.se/20181112/sweden-imports-british-waste-to-heat-homes-but-wheres-the-post-brexit-solution">Sweden imports its waste from the UK</a> to feed its “beasts”. </p></li>
<li><p>The waste materials that are easiest to source and have buyers for recycling - like paper and plastic - also produce most energy when burned.</p></li>
<li><p>Waste-to-energy <a href="http://knowledgeauckland.org.nz/assets/publications/TR2019-009-CBA-on-waste-diversion-from-landfill-homes-land-community-Auckland.pdf">destroys innovation</a> in the waste sector. As a result of China not accepting our mixed plastics, people are now combining plastics with asphalt to make roads last longer and are making fence posts that could be replacing treated pine posts (which emit copper, chrome and arsenic into the ground). If a convenient waste-to-energy plant had been available, none of this would have happened.</p></li>
<li><p>Waste-to-energy <a href="http://knowledgeauckland.org.nz/assets/publications/TR2019-009-CBA-on-waste-diversion-from-landfill-homes-land-community-Auckland.pdf">reduces jobs</a>. Every job created in the incineration industry removes six jobs in landfill, 36 jobs in recycling and 296 jobs in the reuse industry.</p></li>
<li><p>Waste-to-energy works against a circular economy, which tries to keep goods in circulation. Instead, it perpetuates our current make-use-dispose mentality.</p></li>
<li><p>Waste-to-energy only makes marginal sense in economies that produce coal-fired electricity – and then only as a stop-gap measure until cleaner energy is available. New Zealand has a green electricity generation system, with about 86% already coming from renewable sources and a <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-embracing-renewable-electricity-future">target of 100% renewable by 2035</a>, so waste-to-energy would make it a <em>less</em> renewable energy economy. </p></li>
<li><p>Lastly, burning waste and contaminated plastics creates a greater environmental impact than burning the equivalent oil they are made from. These impacts include the release of harmful substances like dioxins and vinyl chloride as well as mixtures of many other harmful substances used in making plastics, which are not present in oil.</p></li>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/circular-fashion-turning-old-clothes-into-everything-from-new-cotton-to-fake-knees-115636">Circular fashion: turning old clothes into everything from new cotton to fake knees</a>
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<h2>Landfills as mines of the future</h2>
<p>European countries were driven to waste-to-energy as a result of a <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32006L0012">2007 directive that imposed heavy penalties</a> for countries that did not divert waste from landfills. The easiest way for those countries to comply was to install waste-to-energy plants, which meant their landfill waste dropped dramatically. </p>
<p>New Zealand does not have these sorts of directives and is in a better position to work towards reducing, reusing and recycling end-of-life materials, rather than sending them to an incinerator to recover some of the energy used to make them.</p>
<p>Is New Zealand significantly worse than Europe in managing waste? About a decade ago, a delegation from Switzerland visited New Zealand Ministry for the Environment officials to compare progress in each of the waste streams. Both parties were surprised to learn that they had managed to divert roughly the same amount of waste from landfill through different routes.</p>
<p>This shows that it is important New Zealand doesn’t blindly follow the route other countries have used and hope for the same results. Such is the case for waste-to-energy.</p>
<p>There is also an argument to be made for current landfills. Modern, sanitary landfills seal hazardous materials and waste stored over the last 50 years presents future possibilities of landfill mining. </p>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-environment-waste/tracking-europes-waste-theres-gold-in-them-landfills-idUSKBN1F61YH">landfills have higher concentrations of precious metals</a>, particularly gold, than mines and some are being mined for those metals. As resources become scarcer and prices increase, our landfills may become the mines of the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128630/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeff Seadon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Burning non-recyclable waste to generate energy sounds like a great idea – but incineration plants need an ongoing waste stream to be viable, which perpetuates the make-use-dispose mentality.Jeff Seadon, Senior Lecturer, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.