Climate change / /
Landfilling generates almost twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as energy recovery
The carbon footprint of waste-to-energy plants is clearly lower than the carbon footprint associated with landfilling. In fact, landfilling can generate double the amount of greenhouse gases as energy recovery per ton of waste treated, with a net balance almost 3.5 times higher. This is the main conclusion drawn from the study entitled Energy recovery of urban waste in Spain and Andorra: carbon footprint and comparison with landfilling prepared by G-advisory at the request of AEVERSU (the Spanish Association of Urban Waste-to-Energy Businesses).
The study was led by G-advisory partner Máximo Martín and a consulting team made up of Clara Rodríguez and Pablo García.
The results of the study were presented to the media on Tuesday May 18 via webinar. AEVERSU president Rafael Guinea took part in the webinar and highlighted the motivation behind the study, illustrating the fundamental role played by energy recovery of urban waste in meeting European commitments in relation to urban waste management.