R1 Recovery Facility

Article 3 of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) 2008/98/EC defines 'Recovery' as: 'any operation the principal result of which is waste serving a useful purpose by replacing other materials which would otherwise have been used to fulfill a particular function, or waste being prepared to fulfill that function, in the plant or in the wider economy'. Annex II (of the WFD) sets out a non-exhaustive list of recovery operations.

Recovery Facility Definition Applied to Energy from Waste

The R1 status of an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility classifies it as an Energy Recovery Facility rather than as a disposal operation such as a D10 operation - incineration on Land. 'Disposal' on the otherhand is defined as: 'any operation which is not recovery even where the operation has as a secondary consequence the reclamation of substances or energy'. Annex I (of the WFD) sets out a non-exhaustive list of disposal operations.

The EU standard sets a requirement to meet high levels of power conversion efficiency to classify it as an R1 facility (and may need to be a CHP facility to fully meet the guidance).

Qualifying for R1 Status

To qualify as R1 status the EfW facility must :

• Have or will have an Environmental Permit for a waste incineration installation
• Be capable of incinerating mixed Municipal Solid Waste, including RDF or SRF Waste Derived Fuel
• Not be a co-incinerator

Only R1 facilities can receive WDF from other EU countries for processing – export to other EU countries for Disposal (for example to an Incinerator that does not have R1 status) is illegal.

The formula for calculating the R1 status is given below:

$Pl_{ef}={{O_{exp}-(E_{f}+E_{imp})} \over {(E_{f}+E_{imp}+E_{circ})}}$

all figures as equivalents in accordance to BREF,Chapter 3.5.6

• Pl_ef = Plant Efficiency.
• E_f = annual energy input to the system by fuels with steam production (GJ/y)
• E_imp = annual imported energy (Note: energy from the treated waste (Ew) is not included)
• E_circ = annual energy circulated
• O_exp = annual exported energy (combined total of heat plus electricity as equivalents)

Energy Efficency Results

The minimum R1 values are:

0.60 for MSW permitted and in operation before 1 January 2009

0.65 for MSW permitted and in operation after 31 December 2008

Table of R1 Facilities

DEFRA last updated their list of facilities with granted R1 status for England in December 2020. These sites are listed below, and link to the relevant site-based page in WikiWaste, where applicable: