energy-from-waste

The role of energy-from-waste (EFW) and waste-derived-fuels (WDF) (i.e. Thermal Treatment) in an integrated waste management system has always been the subject of considerable debate. To help answer some of the questions, and set the stage for a consistent understanding of the role these technologies could play in integrated waste management systems, the EFW/WDF committee of the Ontario Waste Management Association has drafted the following six (6) guiding principles.

These principles were drafted to provide overarching guidance. It is important to note that these guiding principles are not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to support system and technology evaluation processes and to provide a baseline from which community and developer specific needs can be incorporated.

For the purposes of these guiding principles, and by way of definition, we have defined:

Energy-from-Waste is any technology, which recovers energy from the management/processing of waste materials. This includes Anaerobic Digestion, Mass Burn, Gasification, Plasma Gasification, and Landfill Gas Recovery.

Waste Derived Fuel is any technology designed to turn waste materials into a fuel product with the recovery of recyclables materials as part of the fuel development process.

These guiding principles are intended to provide a guide for consideration in the evaluation of new EFW and WDF technologies for municipalities and the private sector, when considering long-term waste management options. These principles are also intended to serve as guidance to agencies and regulators when reviewing potential new facility developments. The EFW/WDF committee contains a broad range of interested parties including: municipalities, consultants, lawyers, EFW technology vendors/operators, and industryWDF generators.

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