Energy from Waste
The process of generating energy by incinerating waste that cannot be recycled. Sits below recycling but above landfill in the waste hierarchy, and counts toward recovery targets but not recycling targets.
Energy from Waste (EfW) is the controlled incineration of waste materials to generate electricity and/or heat. In the waste hierarchy, EfW sits below recycling but above landfill disposal.
Key points:
- EfW counts toward recovery targets but NOT recycling targets
- Processes residual waste that cannot be economically recycled
- Modern EfW plants have strict emission controls
- Produces electricity and sometimes district heating
Under pEPR, the focus is on driving packaging up the waste hierarchy — toward recycling and prevention rather than energy recovery. Packaging that is designed to be recyclable but ends up in EfW represents a system failure. However, for contaminated or non-recyclable packaging, EfW is preferable to landfill. Producers whose packaging regularly ends up in EfW rather than recycling streams will face higher modulated fees.
Related Terms
Modulated Fees
Fee adjustments applied on top of base fees that reward recyclable packaging wit...
Recovery Targets
Government-set annual targets for the percentage of each packaging material that...
Recyclability
The practical ability of a packaging item to be collected, sorted, and reprocess...
Waste Hierarchy
The legally established priority order for waste management: prevention, reuse, ...
Landfill
The disposal of waste in engineered ground sites. Landfill is the least preferre...
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