to read the full report - Ecolateral by Peter Jones

Evaluation of Opportunities for Converting Indigenous UK Wastes to Wastes and Energy
AEA/ED45551/Issue 1
• Arboricultural forecast
Although operationally available arboricultural arisings cannot be forecast with any certainty, it is
estimated that it is unlikely to change dramatically. However, it is expected that arboricultural
arisings will increase. This can be found in more detail Appendix 1.
4.6.6 Conclusions for Forestry Residues
The UK has considerable natural wood resource, one that is not fully exploited at the moment and thus
there is considerable room for use of this material in future energy solutions. However, traditional and
existing markets must be borne in mind, as must market conditions that will affect the cost of such a
resource. In addition the environmental implications of removing significantly more natural wood arisings
from land, and the impact this may have on future land quality and embedded carbon need further
assessment.
The figures discussed here are the maximum practicable resource. For such quantities to be available a
market for the product must exist and funding or incentives would be needed to set up the equipment and
storage necessary. Currently there are limited supply chain connections, thus this quantity of wood could
not be brought to the market in a short timeframe.
The availability and feasibility of using wood based fuels is dependent on the policy framework. One such
recent example of the Woodfuel Strategy for England (2006) has a target to bring an additional 2 million
tonnes of woodfuel to the market, annually by 2020 from forestry residues supported by other sources
such as arboricultural arisings and recovered wood. All the wood resource described above is clean,
untreated wood, and is therefore eligible as biomass fuels under the current legislation, and are exempt
from the Waste Incineration Directive.
4.7 Conclusions
Waste, both controlled wastes and biological residues, represents a massive potential resource in the UK.
Although significant amounts of such materials are already recycled, especially from MSW waste
streams, or recycled onto land, as with many agricultural residues, a considerable amount of waste still
exists and disposing of it is a challenge.
Much of the residual waste that is disposed of through incineration or to landfill could potentially be more
efficiently utilised, and may be a feedstock for the generation of energy or transport fuels.
Summary of Waste Arisings
• Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is comprised of a very large range of materials, and total waste
arisings are increasing. Data quality is good, and in 2007/08 the UK MSW arisings were 344
million tonnes. Even if the level produced by each household were to remain constant, the
increasing number of households will result in increasing arisings. Recycling initiatives decrease
the proportion of waste going straight for disposal, and the level of recycling is increasing each
year. Most growth forecasts use a growth rate of 0.75% per annum.
• Commercial and Industrial waste (C&I) is also comprised of a very large range of materials, with
levels at 83 million tonnes in 2002/03. Overall levels of industrial waste are decreasing, while
levels of commercial wastes are increasing. Again, recycling initiatives decrease the proportion
of waste going straight for disposal, and the level of recycling is increasing each year, although in
general recycling is not as advanced as for MSW. Growth rates have been taken as 1% per
annum for commercial waste, and 0% per annum for industrial waste.
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