Waste to energy: the new frontier?

Each year the South East of England, including London, generates some 27.5 million tonnes of municipal, industrial and construction wastes. With a few exceptions this waste is disposed of at landfills, often some distance from the origin of the waste. However these landfills are nearing completion and, because of planning and environmental constraints, are not being replaced at a rate sufficient to guarantee demand is met. Indeed it is now recognised that by the turn of the century a substantial shortfall in landfill capacity will exist. It is against this backcloth that several companies have sought to develop waste-to-energy plants. This paper, using a proposed plant at Belvedere as an example, looks at the waste-to-energy solution in the context of the evolving disposal crisis. It reviews the role it can play and considers whether this well proven technology truly represents a new frontier for waste management in the UK