Exploding Some Myths Smoke and Mirrors in Waste Management Performance

1
Exploding Some Myths Smoke and Mirrors in Waste
Management Performance

• Presentation to APSWG/ESA Conference
• Managing Waste in the European Union
• How does the United Kingdom Compare?
• Dr David Davies
• House of Commons
• 28 January 2003

2
Myth 1 60 recycling is achievable - isnt it?
3
London Waste Strategy

• London is an ideal area in which to aim for the
  more ambitious recycling targets of 50 and 60.
  We urge the Mayor to be bolder in his Strategy
  and set a target recycling rate for London of 60
  by 2015. As part of a bolder approach we
  recommend that the target should apply to all
  municipal waste and should not be confined to
  household waste.Environmental Strategies
  Investigative CommitteeScrutiny of the Mayors
  Draft Waste StrategyNovember 2001

4
This is how its done
But actual recycling rates are extremely
sensitive to changes in these factors
5
(No Transcript)
6
Myth 2 Cities in Europe North America
achieve 60 - dont they?
7
No, they dont

• No city or metropolitan area achieves anything
  approaching 60
• Best performers achieve 40-45
• Some smaller rural authorities do reach 60
• Mainly through high levels of composting
• some examples

8
Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW), Germany

• Europes most densely populated region
• 18 million people, capital Düsseldorf
• Average recycling/composting across NRW 45
• Wide variation in performance, ranging from
  24-65
• 3 rural authorities exceeded 60
• 3 urban authorities below 30

9
NRW City and country - very different
10
Seattle, King County, Washington USA

• City with the highest recycling rate in USA
• Introduced user pay in 1988 when recycling was
  28
• Rapid increase to 40
• Reached 47 when material prices were high
• Fallen back to about 40
• Targets
• Originally set at 60 for 1998
• Then deferred to 60 by 2008
• Now being reconsidered

11
Myth 3 Incineration crowds out recycling -
doesnt it?
12
In Britain this may be so
13
It Ain't Necessarily So - Porgy Bess

• EU countries with highest environmental standards
• have high recycling rates
• - also high incineration rates
• Denmark The Netherlands
• highest landfill diversion highest incineration
• high recycling/composting rates
• Austria and Belgium
• highest recycling/composting
• significant reliance on incineration
• Greece, Portugal, UK Italy
• low incineration rates
• lowest recycling rates

14
Where does incineration fit in?

• Incineration
• A key component in an integrated waste strategy
• Especially for residuals in metropolitan areas
• Its proper role is to crowd out landfill - not
  recycling
• Following the waste hierarchy Landfill
  Directive
• Other Europeans understand this
• They set their targets accordingly
• with popular consent

150 kg/person to landfill by 2007
15
The realities - 60 recycling

• Wholly unrealistic in major metropolitan areas
• To set such a rate is both naïve and
  irresponsible
• National target of 45 by 2015 proposed by
  Strategy Unit is more realistic
• Even so, better to set clear landfill diversion
  targets expressed in kg/household
• But new policy instruments will be needed
• Substantially higher landfill tax
• Direct charging for residual waste
• Landfill bans

16
The realities - incineration

• A proven technology with a legitimate place in
  any integrated urban waste strategy
• Residual waste strategy and recycling strategy
  are complementary equally important
• Need well-balanced capacity planning
• Combined with provision of other facilities for
  recycling, treatment disposal
• Incineration does not crowd out recycling - it
  crowds out landfill
• The Europeans stopped fighting this battle years
  ago

17
Thank you
18
CLICK ESCAPE