Guiding Principles Integrated Solid Waste Resource Recovery and Utilization OWMA EFW/WDF Committee November, 2011

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2 Guiding Principles Integrated Solid Waste Resource Recovery and Utilization OWMA EFW/WDF Committee November, 2011 General Comments: The role of energy-from-waste (EFW) and waste-derived-fuels (WDF) (i.e. Thermal Treatment) in an integrated waste management system has always been the subject of considerable debate. To help answer some of the questions, and set the stage for a consistent understanding of the role these technologies could play in integrated waste management systems, the EFW/WDF committee of the Ontario Waste Management Association has drafted the following six (6) guiding principles. These principles were drafted to provide overarching guidance. It is important to note that these guiding principles are not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to support system and technology evaluation processes and to provide a baseline from which community and developer specific needs can be incorporated. For the purposes of these guiding principles, and by way of definition, we have defined: Energy-from-Waste is any technology, which recovers energy from the management/processing of waste materials. This includes Anaerobic Digestion, Mass Burn, Gasification, Plasma Gasification, and Landfill Gas Recovery. Waste Derived Fuel is any technology designed to turn waste materials into a fuel product with the recovery of recyclables materials as part of the fuel development process. These guiding principles are intended to provide a guide for consideration in the evaluation of new EFW and WDF technologies for municipalities and the private sector, when considering long-term waste management options. These principles are also intended to serve as guidance to agencies and regulators when reviewing potential new facility developments. The EFW/WDF committee contains a broad range of interested parties including: municipalities, consultants, lawyers, EFW technology vendors/operators, and industry WDF generators. 1. PRINCIPLE: Integrated Solid Waste (Resource) Management (IWM) in line with the solid waste management hierarchy shall be the guiding principle for management of wastes. 1

3 INTENT: Better management of waste can pay significant dividends in terms of climate change; energy conservation & recovery; and environmental impacts on land, water, and air. The solid waste management hierarchy of the U.S. EPA and the European Union provides a general framework for waste management policy where the focus is on reduction of waste generation, reuse, and recycling. Some jurisdictions have established a more rigid and formal hierarchy than others. However, the fundamental principle should be the same. The primary objective should be the reduction of waste. Once waste is created, each material should be managed based on the fundamental principles of sustainability and life cycle assessment. For the materials remaining after reduction, energy and material recovery is the preferred option. This material and energy recovery could be manifested in many forms including: recycling, traditional EFW technologies; new and emerging conversion technologies; anaerobic digestion; or landfill gas recovery. Each of these technologies has the ability to capture inherent resource value and should be considered in the context of maximizing resource recovery (material or energy resources). Each technology/option should be evaluated based on the merits, specific to the community and/or developer. One technology for managing resources should not arbitrarily be advantaged over another. 2. PRINCIPLE: Each community has unique circumstances and one solution does not fit all. The range of resource management options chosen should reflect the community s needs and also reflect a decision making process based on the fundamental principles of sustainability balancing social, economic and environmental considerations. INTENT: Each community is unique with its own specific environmental, economic and social objectives. Maximizing all three variables can be difficult. Communities will need to make decisions on the balance between environmental, economic and social factors based on their needs, resources and priorities. As each community has unique needs and a different vision for sustainable waste management, communities are able to plan and customize a sustainable IWM system that is economically affordable while meeting their environmental and societal objectives. The intent of this principle is to ensure when communities are examining their options, they take into account, and understand the balance between the options. Simply saying, we can t afford it is not acceptable without demonstrating some due diligence as to why, and the implications with respect to environmental and social impacts of making this statement. In the end, the tradeoffs required, will need to be supported by the broader community. In many cases, the community may be willing to pay a little more for a greater level of service and environmental protection. Society needs to be socially responsible and waste management systems need to make it convenient for people to do the right thing. As the basis for assessing environmental implications, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is essential to planning waste management systems and in making changes 2

4 to understand the environmental burdens of these systems. Consideration and credit should be given for reduced GHG emissions and climate change implications. Any program, process or technology that makes the best use (environmentally, socially, and economically) of waste materials should be favoured over the final disposal of material. This could include the full range of pre-disposal waste processing and recovery alternatives as well as post-disposal recovery efforts such as landfill gas capture for energy purposes. The waste hierarchy is a guideline. Specific LCA results should be used as an additional tool to help guide solid waste management decisions. Decisions need to be made within the broader context of economic, social and environmental costs. Where practical, waste materials within the waste stream should be managed in accordance with the LCA results. 3. PRINCIPLE: Energy recovery processes that meet minimum efficiency requirements should receive credit for the resources they recover. To incent their construction and operation, facilities that achieve higher efficiencies should be recognized with greater recovery/diversion incentives. INTENT: The intent of this principle is to recognize waste is a resource and the efficiency of resource recovery must be taken into consideration. Facilities that are able to recover additional materials and generate energy in an efficient and environmentally sound manner should be recognized for their ability to minimize environmental burdens and the amount of waste requiring final disposal. The degree to which these facilities are recognized should be based on the efficiency of the operation, both in terms of materials recovery and in particular, energy recovery and not necessarily giving preference to one technology over another. Minimum efficiency requirements should be developed in consultation with stakeholders, agencies, and industry representatives. These requirements should be reflective of the current state of the industry and consistent with the other guiding principles in this document. The concept of waste diversion is based on the recovery of materials from the waste stream that can be utilized again for other environmentally beneficial purposes, while reducing the need for additional primary resource extraction and processing and the associated energy consumption and environmental implications. The greatest benefit resulting from materials recovery is nonrenewable resource recovery and energy savings. Consequently, when material recovery is no longer possible or practical, energy recovery is the best option. 3

5 4. PRINCIPLE: The use of resource recovery facilities should be consistent with best economic, environmental, and public health practices and with Best Available Technology (BAT). INTENT: Waste processing facilities and/or technologies should be able to demonstrate that their facilities are operated in a manner that protects the environment and human health. The use of BAT should provide the flexibility to balance technical and economic feasibility and weigh the costs and benefits of different environmental protection measures. Should facilities be required to implement new technologies in accordance with BAT, this process must be clearly defined with a schedule for implementation and an understanding of the economic, environmental and social implications. 5. PRINCIPLE: Facilities utilizing waste as a resource shall be required, by the Regulator, to comply with environmental emissions requirements based on clearly defined, science-based environmental performance requirements that are well-documented, publicly available and subject to review and change only at predictable pre-determined intervals with sufficient time for stakeholders to respond. INTENT: Facilities processing waste materials should be required to meet minimum environmental emissions requirements. These emission requirements should be based on clearly defined, science-based environmental performance requirements that are well documented and publicly available. These requirements may be subject to change at predetermined intervals to reflect changes in facility technology and scientific advancements. The intent of this principle is to ensure protection of the environment, regardless of the processor or processing technology. Appropriate timeframes for implementation/retrofit must be provided to existing facilities, and the economic, environmental and social impacts of moving forward with these changes must be clearly understood and justifiable. 6. PRINCIPLE: Facility owners/operators shall be committed to the investigation and implementation of continuous improvement initiatives. INTENT: As science, technology and our understanding of the world change, so too should the operations of a facility to reflect new advances in technology or to respond to new discoveries in science. However, this continuous improvement should be completed bearing in mind the fundamental principles of sustainability and the individual needs, priorities and capabilities of the facility owners and operators. 4