Lincolnshire EfW
Lincolnshire currently produces 340,000 tonnes of household waste each year. The EfW facility will treat up to 150,000 tonnes of the ‘residual’ household waste, leftover after recycling and composting, that would otherwise be disposed of in landfill.
Why does Lincolnshire need an EfW facility?
Why is the facility at North Hykeham?
Energy from Waste (EfW) is a proven method for generating renewable energy from residual waste i.e. the waste that is left over after recycling and composting. EfW facilities burn the waste under strictly controlled conditions. Heat generated by the process is used to generate low carbon renewable electricity, and can be used to provide further environmental benefits such as district heating. The burning process produces gases that are cleaned and treated before they are emitted via the chimney. The commissioning and operation of the facility will be monitored and regulated by the Environment Agency under an Environmental Permit.
There are legal, financial, and environmental drivers for more sustainable forms of waste management. The emphasis is now on the recycling, recovery and reuse of waste materials rather than disposal.
Legislation in the form of the Landfill Directive requires a major shift towards more sustainable methods of waste management. Measures are already in place to encourage the reduction of waste and to maximise reuse, recycling and composting. The next stage is to deal with the remaining “residual waste” that is currently going to landfill. The EfW is the final link in an integrated approach to waste management. It will recover value from waste that would otherwise be disposed of to landfill where resources would be lost.
Landfill tax is set to rise to at least £80 per tonne; if Lincolnshire continues to landfill its residual waste, taxes in excess of £12 million per year will have to be paid from 2013. Lincolnshire has identified that Lincolnshire EfW facility will help to avoid the spiralling costs of sending waste that cannot be recycled to landfill, saving the Lincolnshire County Council millions of pounds each year in rising taxation and European Union (EU) fines.
From an environmental perspective, landfills generate up to 40 per cent of the UK's methane, or about 3 per cent of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst some of the methane generated is collected and utilised for energy production not all methane emissions are collected and some is lost to atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas with up to 24 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Lincolnshire’s Waste Local Plan (adopted in 2006) specifically identifies the site at North Hykeham as being suitable for an EfW facility. The site benefits from good access to the road network, is adjacent to other waste management operations and an existing industrial area. It is also away from any residential areas. Additionally, as a significant amount of the county’s residual waste is generated in the greater Lincoln area, it is considered to be the most sustainable location for such a facility.
As a result of the combustion process EfW facilities generate two main waste products. These are:
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Air Pollution Control Residue (APCR) is the fine powder that remains following the cleaning of the gases from the Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities.
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Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) is the fraction of waste treated by the EfW which is non-combustible and typically contains a variety of materials including glass, brick, rubble, ceramics and metals.
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EfW plays an important role in delivering sustainable recovery of value from waste;
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EfW provides robust and safe treatment of residual waste ;
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EfW contributes to renewable energy targets and provides an indigenous source of energy;
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EfW operates safely and is strictly regulated to protect the environment and health.
NEWS
 | A major new name in the waste, resources and renewable energy sector has emerged today with the launch of FCC Environment. The new name comes from the integration and rebranding of two well established businesses – Waste Recycling Group and Focsa Services (UK), both owned by the international infrastructure, environmental services and energy group, FCC.
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| Waste Recycling Group (WRG) is pleased that Buckinghamshire County Council’s independent Development Control Committee has approved our planning application for an Energy from Waste facility which will treat up to 300,000 tonnes of waste generated by households and businesses in Buckinghamshire each year. |
| Skanska today announces that it has been formally appointed Preferred Bidder for the Bradford and Calderdale Waste Treatment project. |
| A recycling partnership has generated £18,287 for charity in its first year. |
| Keen to provide local residents with new ways to reduce waste, Hertfordshire
County Council is launching a pilot scheme at the household waste recycling
centre in Harpenden designed to increase the amount of waste that is diverted
from landfill and reused.
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