Realization of Waste to Energy Concepts via PPP Models
eew
Q & A UNECE (1/3)
1. How feasible is moving the waste to energy industry into a circular economy
direction?.... Of course the whole issue is the circular economy and the feasibility of
the concept of a waste free society.
A waste free society is an illusion and an undesirable fiction.
Please keep in mind, the first task of a sustainable waste management is to preserve the
health of people, and the environment. Waste incineration was started after the cholera
epidemic in European metropolitans like London and Hamburg. Uncontrolled composting
or landfilling of putrescibles are emitting methane, a much more severe GHG than Carbon
Dioxide. Only metals and glass can be recycled on and on. Paper fibres are shorter after
each recycling loop and the physical performance of recycled plastic is getting worse after
each melting and the additives will accumulate. Some waste fractions are not recyclable.
As long as we consume and our products are not 100% made out of organic compounds,
we have to treat waste and we should do it in a sustainable way.
WtE has already stepped into the Circular Economy and will accelerate its move. Without
WtE no high quality recycling is possible. IBA and FGCR are already resources for
secondary raw materials and further potential will be raised soon. CO2 can be recycled as
well. And WtE will increase its role for a renewable heat transition.
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