LAWR

RWM WITH CIWM 2014 PREVIEW September 2014 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 27 Refuse derived fuel exports: Is it a valuable resource? hen you tell people outside the industry that the UK is export- ing its grey bin/black sack waste, there is genuine surprise that it isn't handled locally and even more surprise when you tell people that we're paying for this practice. Yet, as evidenced in AMEC's CIWM report of 2013 and the latest data releas- es from the Environment Agency, this is a growing trend that shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. It high- lights a major problem in the UK, in that we simply don't have enough treat- ment infrastructure to deal with our waste arisings, at least not at a competi- tive price. Cheap The popularity of the export route for refuse derived fuel – residual waste prepared for export – is primarily down to its cost and it's relatively easy to arrange. With constant rises in land- fill tax which were intended to move waste up the hierarchy, the export alternative (including the cost of prep- aration and shipping) is becoming the cheapest option. So landfill tax has done its job, but is pushing that waste out of the UK really the way to go? Is the loss of over £100 million a year in fees paid to these European facilities acceptable in these times of austerity? The jury is out on whether the prac- tice is acceptable and sustainable. The conclusion of the CIWM report was that the UK either needed to financially sup- port the development of competitively priced EfW facilities in the UK – with all the benefits that brings in terms of alter- native energy creation – or support the less intrusive and cheaper infrastructure The export of treated waste from the UK to energy-from-waste plants in the EU has recently become a more favoured management route and cheap option. Yet, there are concerns that the UK economy is losing a valuable resource in refuse derived fuel (RDF) exports. Linda Ovens unpicks this controversial issue. W • Exports of RDF have increased from virtually nil before 2010 and 13,258 tonnes in 2010 to 963,944 tonnes in 2012. The provisional figure for exports of RDF in 2013 is 1,586,946 tonnes. • A lack of spare capacity on the domestic market contrasts with significant overcapacity in Northern Europe. The net effect of this imbalance has been one of rapidly falling gate fees in Northern Europe as operators seek to fill their plants. • The average cost of exporting a tonne of waste to mainland Europe from the UK ranges from around €80-100. • Defra understands that an increasing proportion of the RDF exported to Europe is derived exclusively from commercial or industrial (C&I) waste. Source: Defra RDF key trends in production and use The average cost of exporting a tonne of waste to mainland Europe is around €100 ►

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