Australia’s first waste-to-energy company has begun accepting waste, marking the start of a nationwide dispute over households refusing to turn on electricity.
At least 10 projects are underway across the country, prompting concern from some conservationists who argue that the practice will damage the environment and is inconsistent with economic development plans. Circle.
City councils have started sending waste lorries to the Kwinana Energy Recovery plant, south of Perth, as the country’s first commercial project continues to operate at full capacity.
The Kwinana plant is designed to sell up to 460,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year – about a quarter of what Perth sends to landfill.
A 300,000-tonne-per-year refinery is being built on the road in East Rockingham. Four licenses have been awarded to build large waste-to-energy facilities in Victoria and there are plans in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. Together, the projects being developed will have the potential to burn 2m of waste a year – a quarter of what Australian households throw away.
Waste-to-energy has gained interest in Australia as a waste-to-energy alternative. Supporters say it could mean an end to pollution, and that air and ash pollution can be controlled under current environmental laws. ;
But not everyone is convinced. Environmental group Zero Waste Australia calls the system “the most polluting and cost-effective way to generate energy and manage waste” and raises concerns about environmental and health consequences.
Jane Bremmer, the group’s communications co-ordinator, said the number of people proposing free and energy was “disturbing”, and that the brand was “on fire” trying to gain traction in Australia. it is being driven out of Europe, some places. crops are removed.
Is it better than trash?
The City of Gosnells, a council of 130,000 people south-east of Perth, is among ten local governments sending waste to Kwinana for incineration.
The city’s mayor, Terresa Lynes, says the change comes after a decade of planning, and a long-term agreement with the company that protects ratepayers from increased waste charges and -unprecedented.
“This is the end of landfill for the City of Gosnells,” he says, and energy creates another benefit. The council is focusing on recycling and greening too, he says, stressing that wasting energy is only “part of the solution”.
In recent years, economic cycles and waste policies in Western Australia, Victoria, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania have chosen solid waste over landfill for disposal of non-recyclable waste. However, this practice is prohibited in the ACT.
Jennifer Macklin, a circular economy researcher at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, says the underlying principle of the circular economy is to keep things circulating at the highest value for as long as possible, e.g. through repair and maintenance.
The waste-to-energy process – which involves burning non-recyclable waste in a large furnace at high temperatures to generate electricity or heat – is “the most cost-effective way to distribute” n ‘because the value in those things is lost, he says.
Macklin says, using that energy “offers less value than landfilling”, but it poses a risk to recycling and high-quality materials.
He says evidence from other countries shows that recovery rates can slow down after invasive plants are introduced, partly because once infrastructure is built “you’re locked out of feeding it”.
The arrival of waste and energy can also reduce the motivation and participation in recycling and recycling at home, organization and even government level, he says.
The chief scientist of NSW, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, gave personal advice on technology and technology to the NSW government in 2020. He said that energy-destroying materials are being developed well in Europe, but as some countries improve their waste reduction, processing, recycling and recycling. , some structures are removed. “They’re closing them, not because of the emissions but because they don’t have any more waste to burn.”
Across Europe, there are about 500 waste-to-energy plants, but environmental economic efforts have led some countries to reduce their reliance on the technology. For example, Denmark plans to reduce its landfill capacity by 30% between 2020 and 2030.
Can renewable energy come from plastic?
Gayle Sloan, president of the Association of Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association, said that landfilling is better for the climate than producing methane indoors. “We should not be throwing things on the ground. If we can’t get it back, we should use it to get energy,” he said.
Government policy supports the system as an option for waste disposal – leftovers after recycling, green and food waste are removed. In most states, that’s the “red” waste, which consists of soft plastics, textiles and synthetic fabrics.
In Australia, the energy of burning plastics is not recycled even though projects promote their energy as white and green.
Accina, the owner of the Kwinana company, said turning waste into energy “solves both the waste problem and the need for clean, reliable energy in WA”.
The WA companies – Kwinana and East Rockingham – both received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena).
Arena’s spokesperson says that while the projects show low emissions compared to landfill, not all energy-wasting companies are “renewable”, the company does not intend to support financial instruments any new. “The priority of investing in the Arena is not dependent on investing in other waste-to-energy projects.”
Durrant-Whyte says: “I would hesitate to call it a refresher. But is it better than digging a hole and putting it in the ground? Yes.”
Bremmer says contrary to industry claims, free and energy does not divert waste from sewage. Incineration turns the material into a small, toxic powder, which is disposed of as hazardous waste.
The best solution would be to stop focusing on waste and move to a more sustainable form of zero waste, he says.
“The industry is positioned as part of the circular economy, but it’s a linear process.” Those things are lost forever, Bremmer said. “You can’t get that back and reuse it or recycle it. Out.”
#Burning #waste #produce #energy #neutralize #toxins #worry #Australias #path #leading