- PDSU Director Alan McVicker
We’ve just put a tough economic year behind us and all the indicators suggest that 2012 will be no easier. Indeed, some pundits have predicted a worsening of the current recession in the coming year.
No matter how gloomy the outlook however, on one point we can, and must, be absolutely clear. This is going to be a crucial year for the delivery of our waste infrastructure projects.
I expect that we will face many challenges going forward. That said I’m confident that we are more than equal to those challenges.
All-in-all, a difficult but exciting time ahead.
Exciting in the sense that we are on the threshold of implementing a beneficial change that could release the potential in our waste (in the form of energy recovery) whilst simultaneously increasing waste prevention and recycling.
However, crossing that threshold will be far from straightforward, particularly when one considers that decisions made now about waste and the environment will be felt for many years to come.
Of course, it would be unwise to view the infrastructure programme in isolation. We are not immune to developments in the wider environment where there are many other issues at play.
Whatever course of action is embarked upon, these issues cannot be avoided and must feed into our strategies going forward.
A ‘do nothing’ option is not on the cards. All EU countries must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill. This is necessary if we are to prevent, or reduce as much as we can, damage to the environment.
Waste management is a dynamic area. The fact that in a few short years we’ve come to view our waste as a resource is just one indicator of the nature of the industry.
That dynamism has also made itself felt in other ways. The revised Waste Framework Directive has, at its core, a renewed emphasis on waste prevention. Disposal has a diminishing role to play and only after a range of other options have been exhausted.
Some may say that with the emphasis firmly on recycling there is no need for infrastructure. But this view is much too narrow, missing, as it does, the need for a network of facilities with each playing a vital role in meeting all our targets (and not just those relating to landfill diversion).
That’s going to require building on the good work that’s already been done. Local council’s and recyclers have made a huge contribution in driving up recycling figures. Little more than a decade ago those figures were measured in single digits. Nowadays, that figure is around 37.5%.
That’s a huge leap forward in a relatively short space of time. But our current target is 50% and a figure of 60% is currently being considered.
The drive for increased recycling opens up opportunities for all within the industry to play a part.
Infrastructure will not crowd out recycling but will require significant investment and effort to reach 50% let alone 60%.
The reality is that the rates of growth that we’ve experienced are dropping off. This is to be expected as we start to deal with that fraction of our waste that is more difficult to recycle or compost. The current increase in the recycling rate is running at 1% – 2% per annum.
Even when taking an optimistic view of what can be achieved through recycling , there will still be a significant portion of residual waste requiring further treatment and disposal. This is because there will always be an element of waste that cannot be recycled, coupled with the fact that coverage, participation and efficiency in recycling schemes will always fall short of 100%. In addition to this, recycling plants, although very efficient, do not operate at 100% efficiency.
The proposed waste infrastructure will help boost recycling rates by 5% through front-end treatment (i.e. MBT).
Interestingly, if Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) re-used in the aggregates industry was to be reclassified as a recycled material then it would contribute another 5-7%.
Consider also the potential for a future European-wide ban on the use of landfill as a method for treating organic waste. Indeed, Scotland has already announced its intention to bring in such a ban starting in 2020.
So, we have a precedent set within these islands that it would be foolish to ignore.
Clearly then, some things have changed and others are in the process of changing but we’re on the right track with our current plans.
However, recycling isn’t the end of the story as far as infrastructure goes. There are benefits beyond those we have just identified.
There will always be a fraction of our waste that simply cannot be recycled. Rather than export the problem our approach will see the entrained energy in the waste released. This can be used to generate electricity or to power district heating schemes.
Not only will this contribute to Northern Ireland becoming self-sufficient in terms of renewable and sustainable forms of energy production (an undeniable boon that needs no explanation) but it does so in a way that has a minimal carbon footprint and creates local jobs. Additionally, it means we are adhering to the proximity principle by dealing with the waste locally rather than shipping it overseas.
For me one of the biggest advantages of implementing the infrastructure is that we are future-proofing Northern Ireland’s waste management needs, whilst generating much needed employment on these shores.
With experts predicting a massive change in the way energy is produced, distributed and charged, we need to see developments that address not just environmental factors but that also satisfy the economic realities facing us.
I’m confident that collectively we can achieve this worthy goal.
Best wishes,
Alan