International Review of Waste Management Policy - Department of ...

Table 61-5: Summary of externality costs for incineration and landfill scenarios
(€/tonne)
957
Impact Impact Impact I1 I1 I2 I2 I3 I3 L1 L1 L2 L2
Global
warming
Damage
from air
pollution
Damage
from
leachate
Disamenity
Total
Total
external
external
costs
costs
Pollution
displacement
Net Net external
external
costs
costs
Source: COWI, 2000
0.8
(0.5 - 1.0)
20
(5 - 27)
International Review of Waste Policy: Annexes
0
(0 – 0.3)
8
(4 - 14)
28
(10 (10 (10 – 43)
43)
-71
(-115 - -19)
-43 43
(-72 72 - -9) 9)
0.8
(0.5 - 1.0)
50
(15 - 72)
0
(0 – 0.3)
8
(4 - 14)
58
(20 (20 – 88)
88)
-21
(-29 - -4)
37 37
(19 (19 – 84)
84)
0.8
(0.5 - 1.0)
69
(20 – 108)
0
(0 – 0.3)
8
( 4 - 14)
77
(25 (25 – 124)
124)
0
(-)
77
(25 (25 (25 – 124)
124)
5
(1 – 14)
0.1
(0.02 –
0.2)
0
(0 – 1)
10
(6 – 19)
15 15
(7 – 34)
34)
-4
(-10 - -1)
11 11
(6 – 24)
24)
8
(2 – 23)
0
(-)
1.5
(1 – 2)
10
(6 – 19)
20
(9 – 44)
44)
0
(-)
20 20
(9 – 44)
44)
Understanding the various assumptions underpinning these results is important.
Where incineration produces electricity, the authors credit it with displacing emissions
from a coal fired plant. The assumption that electricity from coal fired plant is the
marginal source has a large impact on the analysis. If gas, arguably a more likely
marginal generation source, was assumed to be displaced, the credited greenhouse
gas emissions would be significantly reduced. Moreover, the study also includes
emissions from mining and transport of the coal, while not accounting for transport
emissions associated with waste delivered to the incinerator. This somewhat
overstates the benefits of displaced energy generation. The assumed conversion
efficiencies could also be argued to be rather high.
The authors undertake sensitivity analysis using oil as the displaced fuel for electricity
generation. For I1, this roughly halves the pollution displacement, resulting in a net
external benefit of €9/tonne waste incinerated instead of the benefit of €43/tonne
waste incinerated with coal as the displaced source. Displacing gas, with a lower