We Can’t Turn Diesel Back to Red but We Can Embrace Green Tech

“Spiralling costs demand a different approach, and quickly.” Says Advetec’s Chief Strategic Development Officer Dr Stephen Wise.

As the forthcoming change to red diesel tax rules puts enormous pressure on the financial viability of waste businesses up and down the country – it’s inevitable that customers will also feel the financial pinch as hefty cost increases are passed on.

Set against an even more complex backdrop thanks to the aftermath of Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as well as rising costs at the forecourt pumps and increasing interest rates – the next few months will be amongst some of the most financially challenging for the waste sector.

Stephen says: “The waste industry is in the midst of a perfect storm. It’s hugely reliant on red diesel, so a 55% increase in costs, essentially overnight, will have a seismic impact on operators and customers. It means the focus must shift to using more innovative methods to reduce the mass and volume of waste at source. In doing so, waste operators will reduce their consumption of on red diesel, thereby stabilising costs and reducing emissions.”

Advetec’s biotechnology solution can deliver cost certainty in a very uncertain world – as its aerobic digestion process reduces the mass and volume of mixed residual waste by 50% and 85% respectively on-site – which reduces the amount of waste journeys required. Plus, it saves £20 per tonne on disposal costs, as the floc created by Advetec’s unique process has a high thermal value and can be sent for processing as a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) instead of to conventional mass burn EfW.

Stephen added: “We need the waste industry to champion and use the other approaches and technologies that are already available. So, whether or not you agree with Rishi Sunak’s decision to impose these tax hikes on 1 April – I think it could provide a very welcome catalyst for wider tech and greener alternatives adoption.

In recent months, I’ve read about our collective need to recycle more, despite the limitations of the UK’s recycling infrastructure, and heard from several waste handlers that their decisions are often affected by quotas rather than the greenest option. Faced with such hefty costs, waste companies must harness the power of all the solutions we have available. With biotechnology, waste handlers and customers can reduce the operating costs and carbon emissions for their mixed residual waste streams almost straight away.”

Advetec’s technology requires no capital outlay and includes a five-year fixed-cost arrangement with managed service agreement support. Units can be placed on-site at waste producers’ premises – thus helping to reduce the number of weekly collections – or within a waste management company’s facility, which means waste can be reduced and processed before it goes on to SRF, EfW or landfill.

Stephen added: “There is no way of avoiding the red diesel price hikes altogether – but businesses and waste contractors can regain a sense of control in terms of cost and carbon emissions if they use this financial-pain to drive them towards greater waste innovation.”

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