The future of waste management
Selected results from the CircWtE project- Waste-to-Energy and Municipal Solid Waste management systems in Circular Economy
CircWtE project aims at determining how future Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management systems will look in Circular Economy (CE) and what role it will have in the future energy system. The objectives of the project are:
- Determine the role(s) WtE will have in the CE
- Determine the impact of CE on MSW compositions and amounts
- Determine the impact of CE on MSW treatment solutions to ensure that the different MSW streams go to the right treatment(s)
- Determine the environmental & socioeconomic impacts of CE political, regulatory, social factors on MSW management system value chains
- Determine how improved valorisation and disposal of the waste treatment residues, side-streams, and emissions can contribute to circularity
The overarching approach is based on:
- Mapping today’s situation
- What-if scenarios for 2020-2035 including waste generation, new technologies, behavioural changes, etc.
- Implement scenarios using various tools (calculations/projections, Input/Output analysis, LCA)
- Discuss/assess challenges, opportunities, needs, knowledge gaps, etc.
Find below a summary of the main achievements of the project so far, and selected fundings/results/insights:
1. SP1 MSW – Comprehensive national inventory at a high spatial resolution and its evolution with CE
- Deep dive analysis using fresh, detailed waste composition analysis data: amounts & properties, sub-fraction, regional level incl. wrongly/correctly thrown
- Data analysis, e.g. what factors affect sorting behaviour? Looking at different “definitions” of material recovery calculation; historical developments
- Investigation of specific fractions (plastics, food waste)
- Excel-based tool for scenario development
Findings/results/insights:
- Different regions, very different situations, local conditions matter
- Total waste generation: population & wealth increase may very well “compensate” an eventual decrease of waste generation per capita
- Compositional analysis still relies on manual analysis
- Key waste data missing for important fractions (e.g. C&I waste)
2. SP2 Waste treatment technologies and their products in a CE
- Current treatment systems (process) analysis for several cases (3 regions)
- Alternative treatment systems analysis for higher circularity
- Review of innovative technologies for targeted fractions
- Biogenic/fossil Carbon: situation and projection
- Zoom on textiles
Findings/results/insights:
- To achieve the current sorting/recycling targets, major changes are required
- Future sorting systems should combine source and central solutions
- Innovative solutions: upcoming game changers? Difficult to say
3. SP3 Residues/side-streams.
Four main cases were investigated:
- Ash from incineration of MSW
- Digestate from Anaerobic Digestion (food waste)
- CO2 (fossil/biogenic)
- Rejects from sorting and recycling
Findings/results/insights:
- A significant increase in food waste treatment capacity is necessary very soon
- More complex systems = more (and more diverse) residues streams
- Future role of WtE? Multifaceted incl. CCS, energy mix and material recovery rejects handling
4. SP4 System analysis (work in progress)
- Combined material flow analysis (MFA) & LCA for household waste treatment
- Evaluation of waste policies (using various MFA and LCA indicators)
- Socio-economic analysis of waste treatment
Findings/results/insights:
- Norwegian waste management has improved in terms of overall environmental impact
- There is a need to develop more advanced & diverse indicators than the current ones
- Policies must be evaluated thoroughly as they do not always “deliver” as expected
- Less consumption of goods does not necessarily mean lower environmental impact
CircWtE partners: REG Oslo, Tafjord Kraftvarme, Franzefoss Gjenvinning, CIVAC, NOAH and Trøndelag fylkeskommune. R&D: SINTEF Energy Research (project leader), SINTEF Industry and NTNU.
CircWtE funding: the CircWtE project is co-funded by the industry and public partners and the Research Council of Norway under the SIRKULÆRØKONOMI program (CircWtE – 319795).
Read more on all these topics (peer-reviewed articles only):
Scenario analysis tool for estimating future waste composition and amounts toward a circular economy
Incineration economy: Waste management policy failing the circular economy transition in Norway
A Critical Look at Waste Composition Analyses: Challenges and Opportunities
Enabling circularity: Analysis of factors influencing MSW sorting behaviour in Central Norway
MSW for Energy Recovery – 2020-2035 Scenarios for a Large City
Electronic waste treatment flows in Norway: investigating recycling rates and embodied emissions.
