Coalition must ‘think again’ about waste to energy policy

By Rick Pendrous

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Waste management

Coalition must ‘think again’ about waste to energy policy
The plastics packaging industry has called on the new government to make new decentralised waste-to-energy plants a central part of its energy policy.

Speaking at its annual meeting in London last month, the Packaging and Films Association's (PAFA's) new chief executive, Barry Turner, was critical of the previous administration's failure to develop a clear energy policy for the UK.

While he accepted the importance of recycling plastics, he described the existing recycling targets for plastics as "unachievable".

"Energy from waste has got to play a bigger role," ​said Turner. PAFA chairman David Beeby, chief executive of Innovia Films, supported this view and argued that the incineration route was particularly relevant for plastic packaging contaminated with food waste. "Please can we have an energy policy," ​he pleaded.

They were supported by Peter Jones, who sits on the London Waste and Recycling Board, which reports to London mayor, Boris Johnson. Waste-to-energy plants needed to be situated in areas where demand for energy was greatest, he added.

"If you can use this material you could offset 5% of the base load," ​claimed Jones. "It might not be as crazy as it might sound."

However, in its recently published 'programme for government', the new coalition referred only generally to the need to cut carbon emissions and 'decarbonise the economy'. While saying that it would 'increase the target for energy from renewable sources', the only mention of energy-from-waste was in relation to anaerobic digestion.

Jones, a former director of waste management company Biffa, said: "The carbon debate is real, whether you believe it or not, and it is going to underwrite a lot of government strategy."

With landfill charges set to hit over £100 a tonne by 2012, Jones stressed the need for the nation to adopt waste-to-energy schemes where recycling was inappropriate. Around 3040Mt of waste paper, card, plastics, clothing, timber and food is landfilled each year in the UK, said Jones.

If this were captured for use in local combined heat and power systems, it could generate 6GW of the UK's 76GW electrical load and as much again in renewable heat, he argued.

He called for a "changed perspective on waste".​ Such schemes, he argued, would be crucial in helping to meet impending energy shortfalls as old power stations were closed and pressure mounted for more renewable power generation.

Under existing plans, the UK has committed itself to generating 30% of energy from renewables by 2020, said Jones. However, now this only contributes 7% of demand.

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