Waste-to-Energy Incineration: A Tainted Solution for the Global South?

The Waste-to-Energy incineration (WTE) industry is gaining traction in the Global South, with many countries investing heavily in thermal technologies that subject waste to high temperatures. The process produces electricity or heat, reducing waste to about a quarter of its original volume. However, despite its perceived benefits, WTE has been met with opposition from various groups in the Global South. Critics argue that WTE creates toxic by-products, including ash, greenhouse gases, and air pollution, which pose significant risks to human health and the environment.

Key Takeaways:

• The ADB has funded 40 WTE projects and eight similar waste-burning technologies, amounting to USD 15.3 billion in investments between 2015 and 2025.
• WTE plants contribute only a small percentage to overall power generation capacity in countries like Japan (1%), Sweden (1.8%), and China (2%).
• Low energy-generating capability is coupled with high investment costs, making WTE more expensive than all other major energy sources except for nuclear.
• The creation of toxic by-products is recognized in international conventions, such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes.
• The ADB has failed to demonstrate that it is strictly following existing policy restrictions on WTE, prioritizing higher options in the waste hierarchy such as reduction, reuse, and recycling.
• WTE presents complex risks for everyone and only benefits entrenched commercial and oligarchic interests.
• Continued investments in WTE plants will undermine global ambitions to conserve resources and increase financial resources for safer, affordable, inclusive, and non-debt-inducing options.

Statistics:

• 350 WTE plants in Japan contribute only about 1% to overall power generation capacity.
• 34 WTE plants in Sweden provide only 1.8% of the country's power generation capacity.
• 1,010 WTE plants in China produce only about 2% of the country's power generation capacity.
• 50-70% of waste generated in developing countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia is biodegradable.
• USD 15.3 billion in investments by the ADB for WTE and similar waste-burning technologies between 2015 and 2025.
• USD 11.2 billion of these investments were loans to be repaid.
• 8.3 million tons of GHG emissions expected from the USD 100 million WTE plant in Northeast Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Sources:

• GAIA
• Clinate Policy Initiatives
• Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
• NGO Forum on ADB
• UN Environment Programme
• European Union