When residual waste cannot be reduced, reused or recycled, waste to energy provides the most sustainable solution.
The UK currently recycles 45% of its waste, with over 40% of the residual waste still being sent to landfill. Even with government targets to increase recycling to 65% by 2035, that still leaves a 6.3 million tonnes capacity gap for waste that cannot be reduced, reused or recycled in the UK.
That’s where energy from waste comes in. Our facilities efficiently convert waste into partially renewable power for the National Grid, playing a valuable part of the UK’s circular economy and waste management solutions. A better alternative for everyone.
When residual waste cannot be reduced, reused or recycled, waste to energy provides the most sustainable solution. Here’s how an enfinium facility converts residual waste into partially renewable power.
In addition to the safe treatment of non-recyclable residual waste, our energy from waste facilities generate heat and convert waste into clean electricity. These processes help decarbonise the heat industry and the National Grid, assisting the UK to meet its goal of net zero carbon.
Our facilities are heat enabled and we work with local governments and investors to deliver heating and direct wire schemes to them. Our enfinium Kemsley facility, for example, provides steam to DS Smith, supporting their renewable energy requirements.
The electricity we generate is exported to the grid to power local communities. Made approximately 50% biogenic waste, our electricity is classified as a partially renewable energy.
Our facilities offer alternatives to landfill disposal and fossil fuel energy generation helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste treatment.
We invest in new local waste infrastructure in the UK, driving the economy, jobs and the green recovery.
We are committed to continuous improvement that drives us to a net zero circular economy. Through investment and innovation in the industry, we hope to deliver carbon capture.
Our facilities process residual (or post-recycled) waste, and are the alternative to landfill or export for this waste that cannot be reduced, reused or recycled. We advocate increased recycling and work with waste suppliers to minimise the amount of plastic waste sent to our facilities. Through this collaboration, we receive fewer plastics and ensure cleaner production of heat and power.
We transform waste into heat and power every day to create a valuable energy source, all while advocating increased recycling and the UK’s energy security. Our facility in Kemsley was the first in the UK to be awarded a Contract for Difference, helping support the government’s objectives of ensuring the UK has reliable, affordable, and clean electricity.
Waste to energy is ideally placed to meet the heat energy challenges of tomorrow. By 2050, 53% of the UK’s heat network will serve non-domestic buildings and industrial plants with high heat demands*. As the needs of businesses and communities constantly evolve, we are discovering new, sustainable and innovative solutions through our own research funded by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
*Source: Policy Connect No Time to Waste report 2020, Pg. 10
The health and safety of employees, customers and the communities where we operate is our highest priority. We are proud of our industry-leading safety record, recognising that our strong, uncompromising commitment to safety has been the cornerstone of our success. We work with ‘Safety On Purpose’ to ensure we return home safe and empower employees to do the right thing every hour, every shift, every day.
We make a positive impact in the communities where our facilities operate. By creating 400 jobs during the construction of each facility and 45 well paid full-time jobs once operational and through major annual maintenance work, we support local economies in the long term. And by investing in charities, local schools and environmental causes, we are a good partner and neighbour ensuring a better tomorrow for everyone.
We deliver energy from waste responsibly for our communities and the environment. All our facilities have been awarded permits from the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales and operate well within the strict limits prescribed by the latest emissions regulations. Every day, we run 12,000 separate health and safety compliance checks using our Environmental Management System, aligned to ISO-14001 requirements, to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
We are dedicated to delivering a circular economy. Committed to net zero, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering methane from landfill and generate heat and electricity without burning fossil fuels. Our energy from waste process saves more than 200kg of carbon for every tonne of waste*. Despite these reductions, we never stop innovating and are exploring carbon capture technologies which we hope will enable us to eliminate all carbon emissions from the process in the future.
*Source: Policy Connect No Time to Waste report 2020, Pg.9
Inert ash is a valuable by-product of the energy from waste process, which can be recovered and reused. Our facilities collect ash to be processed by a local specialist to recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals for recycling. The remaining inert ash can be used as aggregate by the construction industry. A sustainable alternative, helping to reduce demand on finite quarried resources.
We are proud that all four of our facilities rank within the top ten operational energy from waste facilities in the UK, for overall net carbon benefit for every tonne of waste processed.
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