Energy to Waste

1ENERGY TO WASTE
ENERGY TO WASTE
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2ENERGY TO WASTE
BRIEFING NOTE
BRITISH PARLIAMENT

3ENERGY TO WASTE
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INTRODUCTION
The idea of making energy from waste to many might seem absurd but in this current
generation if one is to put into consideration better ways of conserving the environment then
waste management is key. All of us dump our trash daily, but rather than pilling them on
dumpsites a better way to manage waste is therefore required. A man has discovered that
trash is ‘gold' in a way if it is harnessed properly.
Waste-to-energy involves producing energy in the form of electrical or heat energy by using
waste as a source of fuel. In the recent past waste was a substance that had no value and
therefore unwanted. Not so long ago the UK saw it fit to broaden the scope in waste
legislation in order to blanket waste management practices.
KEY ISSUES
LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND
 Historically, landfills as a form of waste disposal were the most employed. Currently,
the government has set a policy named the waste strategy that gives a boost to the
landfill culture.
 Also, there was the 1992 Earth Summit agreement that involved the UK and other
countries. The agreement had a requirement for the current generation to manage all

4ENERGY TO WASTE
the waste that it continues producing and avoid setting it aside for future generations
to handle.
 In the UK, recently landfill has changed in order to meet the specifications based on
the European Landfill Directive and Regulations. Thus, there is a landfill tax that is
imposed on biodegradable waste that dumped into landfills.
 The UK national controls on waste are as a result of the Control of Pollution Act 1974
and were also given a major boost by introducing the Environmental Protection Act
1990. The laws then only majored on waste disposal. The current laws have control
on areas of waste management sector that includes registration, monitoring, licensing,
storage, and the keeping of records. There is also controls that is imposed on some
waste materials like clinical and hazardous wastes.
The key components of European waste legislation comprise the following;
 Firstly, there should be framework legislation that defines waste and permits certain
requirements.
 Secondly, waste facilities should meet technical standards that ensure in totality the
environment is protected.
 Lastly, there should be standards set for certain waste streams that allow recycling of
waste that allows the reduction of the same.
LANDFILL DESIGN
A landfill is a well-modified structure that is constructed either above or into the ground and
used in isolating trash from the surrounding environment.
All landfills are usually made using the composite liner and leachate collection systems
(Baptista, 2014). Normally, the leachate collection system collects the wastewater that is
produced by the overlying waste.