Recycling Leftover Mixed Waste Costs Less Than Burning It
A recent report from Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) shows that Material Recovery and Biological Treatment (MRBT) systems are a budget-friendly way to manage leftover mixed waste.
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A recent report from Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) shows that Material Recovery and Biological Treatment (MRBT) systems provide a cost-effective way to deal with leftover mixed waste.
- MRBT involves using advanced sorting systems to handle mixed waste and applying biological treatment to manage the remaining residual waste.
- Recent research has discovered that using MRBT is a more cost-effective option compared to sending leftover mixed waste to incineration.
- ZWE has urged the EU to promote the broader adoption of this system to enhance the circular economy and reduce the carbon emissions within the bloc.
What do MRBT systems involve?
This technology combines advanced sorting systems used for mixed waste with biological treatment of the remaining residual waste. The biological treatment helps stabilize fermentable materials found in residual waste, while the sorting equipment recovers materials that were not initially targeted, such as non-packaging plastics, or those that weren’t collected separately.
This approach allows for the retrieval of additional materials for recycling, diverting them away from landfills and incinerators, aligning with the principles of the circular economy. MRBT offers several benefits, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions from managing leftover mixed waste, ensuring compliance with waste pretreatment requirements before landfilling, and maintaining operational flexibility in the system to continue focusing on waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
According to ZWE, MRBT has the potential to responsibly manage mixed waste at a reasonable cost. It provides a flexible system for recovering additional materials for recycling while preventing methane emissions from landfills and avoiding CO2 emissions from incinerating fossil-based materials like plastics and synthetic textiles.
What were the findings of the study?
ZWE conducted modeling for MRBT systems at two scales, 100,000 tonnes & 200,000 tonnes, each further evaluated under two scenarios for lower & higher-cost EU Member States.
The study’s findings reveal that MRBT systems are more cost-effective than incineration, and this advantage becomes even more pronounced when incinerators are integrated into the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Specifically, the MRBT facilities cost in the range of €97-123 per tonne for the 100,000-tonne system and €76-96 per tonne for the 200,000-tonne system.
Furthermore, the MRBT technology demands relatively modest capital investment, ranging from €296-377 per tonne per year for the smaller facility and €242-304 per tonne for the larger one. These costs are significantly lower than what would be expected for an incineration facility.
Additionally, the study highlights the advantages of MRBT in extracting plastics from mixed waste for recycling. Comparing the costs of extracting plastics from mixed waste to those incurred under extended producer responsibility schemes (EPR), MRBT proves to be very competitive at the 100,000-tonne scale, with costs ranging from €226-550 per tonne.
At the 200,000-tonne scale, it emerges as one of the more cost-effective methods for accessing plastics for recycling, with costs ranging from €32-210 per tonne.
What is the purpose or necessity for them?
Leftover mixed waste refers to the material that remains after initial separation efforts aimed at segregating recyclable materials. In various parts of the EU, existing landfill restrictions are compelling Member States to explore alternative approaches for managing such waste rather than relying on incineration.
One significant aspect often lacking in our understanding of these technologies is the potential cost associated with their adoption, a concern addressed in the ZWE report.
The researchers suggest that policies like landfill and incineration taxes, landfill restrictions, and reevaluating permissible materials could incentivize the use of MRBT. Some treatments could even enable the utilization of materials like glass and construction materials.
Janek Vähk, ZWE’s coordinator for climate, energy, and air pollution programs, concluded: “Given the climate crisis, EU funds should be allocated to implement MRBT systems throughout Europe. All EU countries should consider these systems to fulfill their circular economy commitments.
This report demonstrates that MRBT is effective, cost-efficient, and contributes to our goal of zero emissions. It’s essentially a proof of concept, so let’s ensure its widespread use to address the climate emergency.”
The significance of Material Recovery and Biological Treatment (MRBT) systems as an effective and cost-efficient approach for managing leftover mixed waste.
MRBT combines advanced sorting methods and biological treatments to extract additional recyclable materials while minimizing the environmental impact of waste management.
It offers several advantages over incineration, including lower costs, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the potential to recover valuable materials for recycling.
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