Energy from Waste: The Benefits of Energy Recovery

11 February 2025 by CSG

The production of hazardous waste has been on the rise globally for nearly 100 years. Since records began in 1930 and the year 2000, the production of chemicals rose by an astonishing 40,000%!

Our generation creates more hazardous waste than ever before. The glaring question is how do we get rid of these materials, so they aren’t affecting both human life and our wider environment?

After reduce, reuse, and recycle, recovery of value from waste is considered the most sustainable option for managing waste.

Energy recovery from hazardous waste is utilised as a solution in countries across Europe. This is particularly common for residual waste streams which cannot be reused or recycled. Organic hazardous waste can be burned to recover energy due to its calorific value.

Organic hazardous waste has properties that make it dangerous or harmful to the environment or human health, so it is against the law to send this to landfill due to the risk of pollution.

Energy recovery therefore presents the only feasible option for non-recyclable hazardous waste.

Non-hazardous municipal waste is also incinerated for energy recovery in the UK and Europe. For non-recyclable waste streams, this presents the lowest carbon option. This is because landfill produces higher levels of greenhouse gas than EfW, due to the methane (CH4) produced by decomposing waste. According to a UK government report, methane has twenty-five times the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2). The EfW process produces carbon dioxide only.

What is Waste Incineration and EFW?

Energy-from-waste is the process by which non-recyclable or hazardous waste is used as a fuel to generate electricity.

Waste is placed into a large combustion chamber and heated to above 1000C. This combustion process heats up water in steel tubes within a boiler. The water is converted to steam and then delivered to a steam turbine that produces electricity.

The gases from the burned waste are cleaned thoroughly. Sodium bicarbonate or lime is used to neutralise any acidic gases and reduce carbon emissions through removing dioxins and heavy metals. On some plants, the gas then passes through a fine fabric filter to capture any remaining particles, including those down to PM2.5 size. Other more advanced plants will use a SNCR system to remove NOX, as well as an activated carbon system to ensure no pollution is released. It is then vented through a stack. The height of the stack on the plant will be sized to ensure optimum dispersion of air so there is no impact on people or the environment.

Bottom ash is composed of inert, non-combustible materials that are left over after the combustion process: sand, stones and ash from burnt material. It also contains metals that are embedded in the residual waste which can be extracted from the ash and further used as secondary raw material. Bottom ash can also be used in road construction or even act as aggregate in concrete!

Want to know more about how energy from waste works? Watch the helpful video below!

Why aren’t there more energy from waste facilities?

One of the biggest reasons is the set-up costs. The initial set up costs of an incinerator are high. Estimations have been given for around £200m for a large plant.

Another reason why there are not more energy from waste plants in the UK is the public perception of these plants. Because waste is being burned, there is a perception that there are potential hazards to the environment and health. This makes gaining an environmental permit and building the plants difficult in certain areas.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that any adverse health conditions are linked to workers or people living near waste incinerators. Very tough emission standards & clean up steps ensure that all waste gases emitted from EfW plants meet very tight limits placed on them by EU legislation. As a result, energy from waste plants contribute only a small fraction of both local and national particulate and other emissions.

The benefits of Energy From Waste

Some of the key benefits of energy from waste include:

• Reduced amount of waste going to landfill

One of the top reasons for waste-to-energy initiatives is that they reduce the volume of landfilled waste. Much of what ends up in landfills each year could be reused or recycled in some way. Waste to energy plants save land filled material from sitting in a landfill. As these land filled materials break down, they release toxic substances into the water, soil, and air.

• Reduced dependency on additional fuel sources

Energy is being created from waste. This in turn can reduce a countries dependency on finite fuel sources, such as fossil fuels. This energy can then be used alongside wind and solar energy.

• Reduced need for energy importation

Energy generation from waste can reduce the need to import energy from other countries. This means more secure and potentially cheaper energy.

• Reduced reliance on the export of waste to external markets

More waste-to-energy plants mean that local authorities and waste management companies are less dependent on foreign countries for waste treatment. This improved self-sufficiency protects countries from fluctuations in foreign waste markets, for example import restrictions or rising fees.

• Resource recovery

Another benefit of waste to energy is that you can recover valuable resources, such as metals, post incineration. They can then be sent for metal recycling, therefore keeping recyclable waste in the circular economy.

• Job creation

Initiatives like energy from waste (EFW) can create more skilled and technical job opportunities. And as these initiatives become more popular worldwide, the demand for experts in the field will grow in the long term too.

• Waste to energy is more efficient than traditional incineration of waste

Compared to the wasteful incineration practices of previous decades, energy recovery facilities utilize energy that otherwise would have been wasted.

CSG currently has contracts in place with waste to energy recovery centres in Europe due to a lack of capacity in the UK. These centres convert the heat generated from waste into electricity and heat for homes. This is part of a network that powers around 18 million homes and heats 15 million.

So if you have any waste collection or disposal requirements, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today!