Monksleigh's recent analysis of the 51 operational EFW plants in England1 shows that only 24% of EFW facilities rely on direct measurement of carbon emissions from their stack to estimate their overall emissions of biogenic carbon to the atmosphere

Of the 24% measuring from the stack, only two reported using C14 to establish their biogenic carbon emissions.

In the diagram below, 10% did not report any measurements and 25% relied on a default feedstock assumption (from a WRAP-based residual waste analysis from 2017).

The 25% of plants using the default gives a 51.8% biogenic carbon emissions. The 41% of other EFW plants use some other form of sampling and analysis of their waste feedstock to report their carbon emissions, varying in frequency between annual, quarterly and monthly arrangements.

Using this data to report the average biogenic carbon emissions from EFW plants in the UK (around 53.5% of EFW facilities reported by Tolvik in their recent UK

Energy from Waste Statistics Report 20232) therefore needs to be treated with some caution. This becomes even more important when considering the future UK ETS approach that might be taken forward, and that the 'deemed' renewable content of municipal waste considered by OFGEM (at 50%) in their most recent 'Fuel Measurement and Sampling' document is lower than the WRAP default.

For any help with understanding your waste analysis requirements and the implications for future UK ETS — Contact Monksleigh.

About Us

Monksleigh provide flexible and tailored consultancy services designed to support your waste management needs. Our services help organisations optimise operations, compliance, and manage emissions through strategic support and tailored solutions designed to achieve your own sustainability goals​​.

We provide a range of resources on our website and in WikiWaste, an online encyclopedia created and supported by Monksleigh focused on the UK waste and resources industry as well as a range of bespoke and tailored paid-for services and products for Investors, Developers, Waste Companies, Local Authorities and Businesses producing waste.