Getting a Better Handle on Waste

Why We Need to Harness the Transformative Potential of Mixed Residuals Now

The race to shape a more resource-efficient world gained greater impetus this May, with a stark revelation from climate experts.

It was revealed by the World Meteorological Organisation that global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years – with a 66% likelihood that the annual average global temperature will exceed the 1.5°C global-warming threshold for at least one year.

For responsible businesses, including those in the waste handling sector, the pressure is increasingly on; to address their environmental impact and become agents for change.

That’s why progressive waste specialists are zoning in on a refuse stream that has the potential to cut carbon and reduce landfill. That waste stream is Mixed Residual Waste (MRW).

MRW is the waste that can’t be recycled due to the presence of organic matter and so it’s traditionally been sent to landfill or for incineration. However, this waste has vast untapped potential; potential that can be realised with waste characterisation and biotechnology.

Waste characterisation – the first step towards a more sustainable future.

In a nutshell, waste characterisation is a scientific process that samples your MRW to understand what it comprises and therefore how it can be put to better use, rather than going to landfill or Energy from Waste.

To garner the most accurate picture of this waste stream, it requires a number of waste samples to be taken on different days and the help of an ACAS accredited UK-based laboratory.

The tests measure the moisture and organic matter levels of the waste as well as the presence of heavy metals and chlorine.

The Benefit – A New Opportunity

There is tremendous value in understanding MRW in this way – especially as more and more UK waste handles are recognising its potential to create Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF). In fact, it is the waste characterisation process that is giving waste handlers the insights, intelligence and confidence they need to enter the SRF market and pursue greater cost and carbon reductions.

By turning MRW into SRF via our innovative biotechnology, waste managers can produce a valuable commodity and fossil-fuel alternative. This, in turn lets them tap into the high-growth SRF supply market – providing energy-intensive industries with a source of more carbon-friendly power. It also reduces waste handlers’ own carbon footprints and those of their customers; as well as limiting their tax exposure and lowering gate fees.

Applying The Science

By knowing your waste intimately, we can see whether our biotechnology will deliver the results you’re looking for, determine the right blend of bacteria and stimulants needed to convert MRW successfully and establish how much SRF you could create.

Perhaps most crucially, waste characterisation also helps to ensure that the SRF created meets the high standards of SRF offtakers. MRW may be an inherently heterogenous material, but our biotechnology makes it homogenous, high-quality and consistent, as well as giving it a higher thermal value. It is these qualities that give SRF offtakers the quality assurances they need, and which open up this disposal route for waste producers.

There is no point embarking on the SRF journey unless you understand your waste and know how biotechnology can support you. That’s why we always undertake a full and rigorous waste characterisation study for clients. It’s a vital part of the waste to SRF transition.

Reaping the wider benefits

Turning contaminated MRW into a commodity has clear carbon-reducing benefits. Not only does it provide a more carbon efficient alternative to coal but by being able to offer the process on-site, you reduce your own carbon emissions and directly help your waste management customers accelerate their own journeys to Net Zero.

And, as we’re likely to see the cost of incinerating waste rise drastically in the coming years, capitalising on the SRF disposal route prove especially important to futureproof your operations – improving the bottom line and satisfying the regulators.

Becoming an early adopter of disruptive biotechnology could reduce your costs, boost your green credentials and those of your customers. Characterising your waste now could open the door to all of these advantages.

To unlock the full potential of your waste – book a free waste characterisation consultation book a free waste characterisation consultation.