The Role of Fuel and Energy Recovery From Non-recyclable Materials in Circular/low Carbon Economy Policies

Circular economy (CE) and low-carbon economy (LCE) are the policies adopted as a response to the unsustainable use of natural resources. However, the role of fuel or energy recovery from non-recyclable materials (waste to energy or WTE; materials which otherwise are landfilled) in CE and LCE policies is often questioned, mainly due to considerations on the environmental and economic impacts of the processes. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part is associated with an evaluation of primary industrial data to compare the environmental and economic aspects of six advanced Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT; called ‘dirty’ Materials Recovery Facilities in the US) facilities in Europe, some of which included the use of non-recyclable materials in the energy/cement sectors. The second part relates to a holistic assessment of the management of waste products in the US by evaluating the potential contribution of such products to the U.S. energy grid and assessing the opportunity to substitute fossil fuels, both for electricity and residential heat production. From this analysis, it can be concluded that WTE can be the final disposal step for non-recyclable materials and serve as a transition step to a more circular/sustainable development path, depending on where cities are at the start.