Frequently asked questions :

Q1 what is Waste to Energy (W2E) ?

W2E includes a range of technologies used for converting the waste left after recycling into electricity and heat.  Although it is often used to refer to combustion of residual municipal solid waste, the term includes any process that uses waste as a fuel to generate energy.
AW2E facility using combustion involves burning residual waste at high temperatures without the addition of any extra fuel, and under controlled conditions.  Emissions are cleaned to meet rigorous air quality standards before being released into the atmosphere.  Heat from the combustion process is used to produce steam, which drives a turbine to generate electricity.  Heat can also be recycled to provide low pressure steam, hot water, space heating or even refrigeration for use in industrial or domestic buildings.

Q2 Is W2E just another name for incineration ?

W2E is more than just incineration.  The sole purpose of an old-style incinerator was to dispose of unwanted materials by burning them.  A modern W2E via combustion facility is a power plant that uses the thermal treatment process to generate electricity and heat.  It extensively cleans up the combustion gases before emission to the atmosphere and involves post-combustion extraction of metals and reuse of ash.

Q3 what are the benefits of W2E ?

W2E includes proven and reliable technologies.  It allows recovery of value in the form of heat energy and recycled materials as resources that would otherwise be wasted.  W2E can help prevent India energy deficit as it is reliable and secure.  It can also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Q4 Do W2E facilities discourage recycling ?

Even with the expected improvements in recycling rates, there will always be waste materials that cannot be viably recycled.  We do not have the technical ability to process all wastes into new products and not every potentially recyclable material has a reuse application.  Recycled materials can become so contaminated that they cannot be economically or practically recovered.
There are many examples of W2E operating alongside high levels of recycling. For example, Flanders in Belgium has high levels of waste prevention, reuse and recycling, with around 25% of waste being used for energy generation at W2E plants.

Q5 Is an Environmental Permit needed to operate a W2E facility ?

W2E facilities are required to meet strict emissions.  All W2E facilities need an Environmental Permit from the Environment Agency to operate.  The permit controls all operations and will only be granted if the Environment Agency is sure there will be no adverse effects on the local community and environment.

Q6 Do the W2E facilities affect air quality ?

W2E facilities are fitted with advanced technologies that control and monitor emissions.  A major part of the plant infrastructure is the air pollution control technology.  The extent of 24 hour a day air emission control technology coupled with stringent environmental regulations means W2E facilities are designed and operated to have no significant impact on air quality or health.

Q7 what about dioxins ?

Dioxins and furans can be produced whenever something is burned, such as cigarettes, barbeques, garden bonfires, industrial furnaces or accidental fires. The burning of residual waste in aW2E plant makes only a very small contribution to existing background levels of dioxins in our environment.  Data demonstrates that implementation of stringent regulations for W2E facilities in the USA and the EU have resulted in over a 99% reduction in dioxin emissions compared to emissions in 1990.

Q8 Do W2E facilities smell and are they noisy ?

Waste is processed within an enclosed environment with air extraction systems, filters and sound proofing to contain odors and noise.  No sorting or treatment of waste takes place in the open.  Odor is managed by drawing air through the waste reception hall into the combustion process to ensure that the hall remains under a negative pressure.  This prevents any odors from escaping.

Q9 Is it true that people living near W2E facilities have a higher chance of developing cancer ?

There is no scientific peer reviewed evidence to support this claim.  No study into the health of communities living near W2E facilities has been able to demonstrate a conclusive link between emissions from a W2E facility and adverse effects on public health.  A 2004 UK Government report which considered 23 reputable studies and 4 review papers into the patterns of disease around W2E facilities concluded that the risk of cancer caused by living near a W2E facility is so remote that it is too low to measure.

Q10 what happens to the ash produced ?