FAQs

What proportion of waste do you expect to go for energy recovery?
The Welsh Assembly Government has set a limit on the amount of waste that can be sent to energy from waste facilities. As reducing, reusing and recycling our waste is the most sustainable option for Wales, we will only be able to treat 30 percent of household waste using energy from waste technology. This is why we need to become a high recycling nation. We need to recover 70 percent of our waste by recycling it.

What is anaerobic digestion?
Anaerobic digestion is used to treat food waste.  In Wales we throw away over 330,000 tonnes of food waste every year.  The technology copies a natural process by using naturally occurring microbes to break down the waste, and this produces a source of 100 percent renewable energy.  It also produces digestate which can be used as a fertiliser and soil conditioner.

Does new technology simply mean incineration?
No - a wide range of technologies can be used to turn our waste into a source of energy.  This includes anaerobic digestion, mechanical and biological treatment, combustion with combined heat and power as well as pyrolysis and gasification.  Regional partnerships involving all 22 Welsh local authorities will be looking to develop the most sustainable, cost effective and practical solution for your area.

Is energy from waste technology new?  How do we know it works?
Energy from waste treatment is widely regarded as a safe, reliable and proven method for treating non-recyclable waste.   The recovery of energy from waste dates back over 100 years with modern facilities being highly efficient and well regulated.  The UK is lagging behind in its use of new treatment technologies.  The USA already has 121 facilities spread across 29 states, while Europe has close to 400 and Asia more than 300.  Germany has 200 energy from waste facilities alone.

What are the benefits of developing new waste technologies?
Our waste is a resource. Recovering this resource will have important environmental benefits.
The benefits of using these new technologies include:

• the production of 100 percent renewable energy
• a reduction in landfill and the levels of methane and carbon dioxide produced
• a replacement of fossil fuels leading to reduced carbon dioxide emissions
• an improvement of the national security of energy supply
• waste becoming a source of heat and power
  
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