Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of substances contained in waste materials. Industrial plants for waste incineration are commonly referred to as waste-to-energy facilities. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas and heat. The ash is mostly formed by the inorganic constituents of the waste and may take the form of solid lumps or particulates carried by the flue gas. The flue gases must be cleaned of gaseous and particulate pollutants before they are dispersed into the atmosphere. In some cases, the heat that is generated by incineration can be used to generate electric power.
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Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste, or the processing of waste into a fuel source. WtE is a form of energy recovery. Most WtE processes generate electricity and/or heat directly through combustion, or produce a combustible fuel commodity, such as methane, methanol, ethanol or synthetic fuels, often derived from the product syngas.
The Allington Quarry Waste Management Facility is an integrated waste management centre in Allington, Kent. It is the site of the Allington Energy from Waste (EfW) Incinerator. The incinerator is owned by FCC Environment as Kent Enviropower. The facility, which has involved an investment of over £150 Million, is able to process 500,000 tonnes per annum of waste and has the ability to produce 40MW of power. The facility takes non-hazardous waste from households and businesses in Kent and the surrounding area for recycling and energy recovery. Materials separated by householders are sorted and sent for recycling, with the remainder being used to generate electricity to power the facility and for the local supply network.
The Kirklees EfW is a major moving grate incineration plant in Huddersfield, Kirklees, England. The incinerator is owned and operated by Suez Recycling and Recovery UK who signed a 25-year contract with Kirklees Council in 1998 with an option to increase the time period to 2028. The plant is integral to the waste strategy and Unitary Development plan of Kirklees Council, treating 150,000 tonnes of locally generated municipal waste, which when incinerated, will produce enough electricity to power 15,000 homes. Only 136,000 tonnes of waste is actually incinerated, the other tonnages permitted are recovered materials such as metals and Incinerator bottom ash (IBA) and Fly ash.
The Bolton WtE is a waste power station constructed in 1971 in Bolton, and is a major landmark of its skyline. The incinerator burns up to 20 tonnes of household waste per hour or 85,000 t per year, and can generate up to 11 MW of electricity. The plant is operated by Suez Recycling and Recovery UK. The Bolton incinerator is the only household waste incinerator in Greater Manchester.
The Sheffield Energy Recovery Facility, also known as the Energy from Waste Plant, is a modern incinerator which treats Sheffield's household waste. It is notable as it not only provides electricity from the combustion of waste but also supplies heat to a local district heating scheme, making it one of the most advanced, energy efficient incineration plants in the UK. In 2004, the district heating network prevented 15,108 tonnes of CO2 from being released from buildings across the city, compared to energy derived from fossil fuels. The incinerator is a 'static asset' owned by Sheffield City Council and operated by Veolia Environmental Services under a 35 year integrated waste management contract (IWMC)/PFI contract.
The Isle of Wight gasification facility is a municipal waste treatment plant in southern England. It entered the commissioning phase in autumn 2008, and will be replaced by a new moving grate incinerator in 2019
Teesside Energy from Waste plant is a municipal waste incinerator and waste-to-energy power station, which provides 29.2 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the National Grid by burning 390,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste a year. It is located on the River Tees at Haverton Hill, east of Billingham in North East England. Developed and built by NEM, a subsidiary of Northumbrian Water, the initial plant replaced the Portrack Incinerator and opened in 1998. Subsequently, the facility became part of SITA, now Suez.
It is estimated that 290 million tonnes of waste was produced in the United Kingdom in 2008 but volumes are declining. In 2012 municipal solid waste generation was almost 30 million tonnes, according to Waste Atlas Platform.
Marchwood ERF is a waste incineration plant in Marchwood, near Southampton, England. It is situated beside the estuary of the River Test where it meets Southampton Water, opposite the Port of Southampton. It burns municipal waste and produces electricity for the National Grid.
The Essex County Resource Recovery Facility, also known as Covanta Essex, is a waste-to-energy incineration power station in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 1990, it is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and operated by Covanta Energy. It is located adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike between Raymond Boulevard and the Passaic River in Newark.
The Lakeside EfW is located in Colnbrook, Slough, and is the largest facility of its kind in England. It incinerates residual waste, and since 2010 it has also been authorised to incinerate low-level radioactive waste.
The West London Waste Authority is the statutory body responsible for waste disposal in the London boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames. The authority was formed in 1986, taking over functions previously held by the Greater London Council, and is overseen by an elected councillor from each of the boroughs in which it operates.
Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre is a recycling and waste incineration facility at Millerhill in Midlothian, near Edinburgh in Scotland. It was built on part of the site of the Millerhill Marshalling Yard; construction began in October 2016 and the plant opened fully in September 2019. Commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council and Midlothian Council, the plant cost £142 million and will divert 155,000 tons of waste a year from going to landfill. It burns treated waste to generate electricity which is fed into the National Grid. The plant uses combustion and XeroSorp flue gas treatment from Hitachi Zosen Inova. This is a dry adsorption system which uses sodium bicarbonate to clean the exhaust.
Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) is a Swiss company specialising in energy from waste (EfW).
Allerton waste recovery park is a waste recovery and incineration site located on a former quarry at Allerton Mauleverer, near Knaresborough, England. It is operated by AmeyCespa on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council, the site is capable of handling 320,000 tonnes of household waste per year.
The Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility is a trash incineration plant located in Chester, Pennsylvania. The waste-to-energy plant, which incinerates waste to generate power, was built and operated by Westinghouse from 1991 to 1997. It is currently operated by Covanta. a Morristown, New Jersey-based publicly-traded industrial waste company, and has been criticized for the level of pollution it produces. The plant has the largest capacity of any waste-to-energy plant in the United States.
Gloucestershire Energy from Waste Facility, also known as the Javelin Park Incinerator is a residual waste incinerator and energy-from-waste power station which produces 14.5MW of energy for the National Grid by burning up to 190,000 tonnes of residual waste each year. The site is located adjacent to the M5 motorway, near junction 12 and to the south of Gloucester.
