Residual Waste can be used as a feedstock for Energy from Waste (EfW) and Residual Waste is considered as partially renewable or a low carbon energy source as a result of the energy produced from the fraction of Residual Waste derived from Biomass that is considered renewable[1].

Residual Waste and Energy from Waste

Energy from Waste is the now the main method for dealing with this type of waste, with Landfill of Residual Waste being the least preferred method, as outlined in the Waste Hierarchy[1].

In 2018, the amount of residual waste that was sent to EfW processes in the UK increased by 5.6%, amounting to a total of 11.5 million tonnes being sent to 42 operational EfW facilities across the UK[2]. This represents 41.8% of the total residual waste produced in the UK in 2018 (increasing from 39.5% in 2017)[2]. The total power generated from EfW facilities in 2018 was 6,153 GWh, this supplied 1.9% of the total UK power generation, and gives a average of 536 kWh of power generated per tonne of residual waste treated at UK EfW facilities[2]. ‌ The graph below displays how the tonnage of residual waste processes by UK EfW facilities has changed over recent years.

Changes in residual waste tonnage processed by EfWs, Graph derived from Tolvik, 2019[2]
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Data Table
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Tonnes 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.6 4.2 4.8 5.2 5.5 6.7 8.4 10.1 10.9 11.5

The table below shows the power and heat generation from residual waste EfW facilities in the UK between 2014-2018 (Derived from Tolvik, 2019[2]).

Year Net Power Export (GWhe) Net Heat Export (GWhth)
2014 3368 NA
2015 4636 554
2016 5241 730
2017 6187 865
2018 6153 1112


Historically, the UK has been very dependent on Landfill or Incineration without energy recovery for Disposal of Residual Waste. The landfill diversion targets set in the mid 1990s promoted EfW developments. The diversion of residual waste away from Landfill and into EfW processes reduces emissions of methane and pollution originating from Landfill sites and increases production of renewable energy[1].

England produced 12.5 million tonnes of Residual Waste from Households in 2016[3], and it is estimated that there will be an increase in EfW capacity for Residual Waste by 2 million tonnes/year by 2022 [4].

With the increasing social, economic and political drive to Prevent, Reuse and Recycle more waste, in line with the Waste Hierarchy and the Circular Economy the amount of Residual Waste is expected to decrease over time in the medium-long term[1]. The exact magnitude of this reduction and the Residual Waste continuing to need to be delivered to EfW has been debated at length by different commentators over the last few years.

Operational EfW

The map right contains the locations of all the sites listed below, please note that due to scale and cartographic limitations some of the numbers in the list might not be shown on the map due to sites in close proximity, or sites in areas of high density, this does not mean that the site marker is not there. An example of this is Ferrybridge as both FM1 & FM2 are in geographically similar locations a few 100m apart, the location markers will appear on top of each other, and as a result one will block the other's numerical id.

 
Locations of Operational residual waste EfWs in the UK
ID Site Name Capacity

1. Runcorn EfW 1100kt
2. Riverside Resource Recovery Facility (RRRF) 850kt
3. Teeside EfW - lines 1-5 (Teeside & NEERC), Billingham. line 3 756kt
3. North East Energy Recovery Centre. Lines 4 & 5 0kt
3. North East Energy Recovery Centre. Lines 1&2 0kt
4. Ferrybridge Multifuel 1 (FM1) 725kt
5. Edmonton EcoPark EfW 750kt
6. Allington EFW 560kt
7. SELCHP ERF 464kt
8. Lakeside EfW 468kt
9. Wilton 11 EfW 500kt
10. Trident Park (Cardiff ERF) 425kt
11. Tyseley ERF 441kt
12. Severnside Energy Recovery Centre 467kt
13. Greatmoor EfW 345kt
14. Four Ashes EfW (Staffordshire ERF) (W2R) 340kt
15. Ardley EfW 378kt
16. Allerton Waste Recovery Park (EfW) 320kt
17. Coventry EfW Plant 315kt
18. Great Blakenham EfW 295kt
19. North Yard EfW (Devonport EfW CHP Facility) 275kt
20. Cornwall ERC 240kt
21. Sheffield ERF 245kt
22. North Quay ERF (Newhaven) 242kt
23. Marchwood ERF (Integra South West) 220kt
24. Portsmouth ERF (Integra South East) 220kt
25. Stoke-on-Trent EfW 210kt
26. EnviRecover - Hartlebury EFW 230kt
27. Eastcroft EfW (Lines 1 & 2) 200kt
28. Leeds Recycling & ERF (Cross Green ERF) 190kt
30. Lincolnshire EFW 190kt
31. Vine Street EfW (Kirkless EfW) 135kt
32. Glasgow Renewable Energy and Recycling Centre (ACT) 154kt
33. Bolton TRF 128kt
34. Baldovie and Dundee EfW 260kt
34. Dundee EfW CHP Facility 0kt
35. Wolverhampton EfW 118kt
36. Chineham ERF (Integra North) 110kt
37. Dudley EfW 105kt
38. Battlefield EfW 102kt
39. Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park 140kt
40. Peterborough EfW 110kt
41. Lancing EfW 75kt
42. Exeter Energy Recovery Facility 60kt
43. Newlincs EfW 56kt
44. Lerwick Energy Recovery Plant (Shetland EfW Plant) 24kt
47. Rookery Pit Energy Recovery Facility (Rookery South) 585kt
48. Ferrybridge Multifuel 2 (FM2) 725kt
49. Kemsley K3 EfW 657kt
50. Severn Road Resource Recovery Centre 377kt
51. Dunbar EfW (Oxwellmains EfW) 390kt
52. Beddington EfW 347kt
54. Energy Works (Hull) 315kt
55. Parc Adfer EfW 232kt
56. Javelin Park EfW 190kt
57. Levenseat EfW 97kt
58. Millerhill EfW 190kt
61. Belfast Harbour Estate 144kt
66. Charlton Lane Eco Park (ACT) 55kt
67. Isle of Wight Waste Recovery Park 44kt
68. Sustainable Energy Centre 15kt
73. Newhurst EFW 455kt
78. Hooton Bio Power 260kt
148. Earls Gate Energy Centre 274kt
149. Baddersley EfW 130kt
151. NESS Energy Project 150kt

Under Construction EfW

 
Under Construction EfW within the UK.
ID Site Name Capacity

45. North London Heat and Power (Edmonton EcoPark Replacement) 700kt
46. Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant 600kt
62. Showground Road 105kt
69. Riverside Energy Park (REP) 650kt
70. Rivenhall EFW 595kt
72. Protos EFW 400kt
75. Slough Multifuel EFW 480kt
76. Walsall Energy Recovery Facility 478kt
83. Binn Eco Park EFW 85kt
95. Drakelow Renewable Energy Centre 169kt
127. South Clyde Energy Centre, Bogmoor Road, Glasgow 385kt
144. Drumgray Energy Recovery Centre (DERC) 300kt
146. Kelvin Energy Recovery Facility 400kt
170. Oldhall EfW Plant 180kt
178. Skelton Grange EfW Plant 435kt
184. Westfield EfW Plant 240kt
216. Advanced Biofuel Solutions 8kt


In Planning EfW

 
EfW Sites within UK in Planning
ID Site Name Capacity

53. Enviroparks Hirwaun Generation Site 250
59. Bulwell Energy 160
60. Coatbridge Renewable Energy Facility 204
65. Swindon Energy Plant 70
71. North Beck Energy Centre 560
77. Houghton Main 260
82. Bilsthorpe Energy Centre 96
84. Bloomfield Recycling Depot (Re-submission) 180
86. The 3Rs Bradford 160
87. Gretton Brook Road, Corby 154
92. Clydach Refinery 103
93. Cornwall Bio Park (Redruth) 80
94. Derwenthaugh Ecoparc (resubmission) 90
97. Eastleigh 120
98. Eastcroft EfW (3rd Line) 140
100. Finmere Quarry 60
101. Fleetwood Energy Centre 80
102. Keighley EfW Plant, Former Gas Works, Aire Valley Road 100
103. Rotherham Renewable Energy Centre (Former Templeborough Steel Works) 215
104. Fort Industrial Park (Castle Bromwich) 105
105. Hams Hall National Distribution Park 150
106. Hangmans Lane 50
108. Killoch Depot 160
109. Kingmoor Park 250
110. Kingspan Insulation 240
111. Knowsley ERF 80
112. Land to the South of Knapton Quarry Landfill Site 110
113. Levenseat EfW Phase 2 315
117. Melton Waste Park/Solar 21 EfW plant 250
118. Moody Lane (Former Acordis site) Resubmission 170
120. Northacre RRC 243
122. Peterborough Energy Park (Green Energy Parks - Gasification) 350
124. Pond Green Energy Park 80
128. Southmoor Energy Centre 350
130. Greengate EfW Plant 330
131. Thames Gateway EfW (Resubmission) 200
132. The 3Rs Doncaster 350
134. Uskmouth Power Station (Subcoal) 450
136. Washwood Heath (resubmission) 128
138. Corby Energy Recovery Centre 357
139. Tilbury Docks - Phase 2 (EfW) 350
141. Garden of England Energy 104
142. Haverton Hill (line 6) 200
145. Keypoint Industrial Estate 150
147. Darwen Energy Recovery Plant 500
150. Medworth EFW CHP 626
152. Thainstone Inverurie Energy Park ERF 240
154. 3Rs EfW Plant, Horsham 180
155. Boston Alternative Energy Facility 1000
159. Chiltern Green Energy Park 500
161. Envirofusion EfW Plant (Alfreton) 5
162. EP South Humber Bank Energy Centre 750
163. Grundon Circular Technology Park 275
167. Hay Hall Bio Power 277
171. Llynfi Biomass Power 300
172. Longridge Road Energy Centre (Preston) 395
176. Protos (Bio-Sustainable Natural Gas) Plot 4 175
177. Redcar EfW Plant (South Tees) 350
181. Swansea EfW plant 30
189. Trostrey Court Farm Barns Clytha Road Trostrey Common Gwehelog (Usk) 42
191. Bandeath Industrial Estate, Throsk 60
192. Hill Barton Business Park 88
193. Magnetic Park Energy Centre 96
199. Hightown Quarry EFW 211
200. North Hampshire (Alton) 330
202. East Midlands Energy Re-Generation Centre (EMERGE) 500
203. Immingham 600
207. Energy and Resource Park, Kidderminister 75
208. Eco Park EFW (Parley) 50
213. South Tees Development Corportation/Redcar EFW 450
215. Teeside Renewable Energy Plant 333
217. Billingham Reach 375
220. Berry Lane ERC/Reading Quarry 150
221. New Road Billingham EFW 200
222. Graythorp Energy Centre 560
230. Thornton ERC 120
231. Medway Energy Hub 400
232. Plymouth EfW Facility 60
233. Immingham Railfreight Terminal 320


References