Decarbonising our waste
Our roadmap to becoming carbon neutral and climate positive.
Tackling climate change is the defining issue of our generation. It demands action across every area of the economy, with no business able to ignore their responsibility to act. Future generations will judge us on the decisions we make now – there is no time to lose. The waste sector is no exception.
Our five step decarbonisation roadmap
Carbon Capture - A Waste(d) Opportunity
Energy from Waste with carbon capture provides the only domestic pathway to delivering the 2035 Carbon Dioxide Removals target, essential for industrial decarbonisation and critical to the achievement of the UK's net zero commitment.
The UK Government is legally bound to deliver net zero across the whole economy by 2050 but ‘hard to abate’ emissions from key industries could jeopardise this goal.
Residual emissions in ‘hard to abate’ sectors will need balancing through Carbon Dioxide Removals. At least 45 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Removals per year will be needed to meet any net zero pathway according to calculations from the Climate Change Committee.
Energy from Waste (EfW) with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is critical to delivering Carbon Dioxide Removals. The 2035 Carbon Dioxide Removal target is unachievable without EfW with CCS.
By 2035, the EfW sector could deliver up to 6 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Removals per year, more than enough to balance the fossil emissions of a clean power grid.
By 2050, the EfW sector could deliver up to 10.6 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Removals per year, enough to balance all the emissions from Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Luton airports and deliver over 20% of the Climate Change Committee’s minimum requirements.
