Carbon Accounting – Waste Management

Acknowledgements

• Kimberley Pratt – Zero Waste Scotland

• Sheila Scott and Charlie Russell

International Solid Waste Association

Waste & Climate Change: some numbers

Between 1990 & 2007 total global GHG emissions from waste sector declined from 69 Mt to 32 Mt for

the 36 Annex 1 industrialised countries & EITs - LF CH4

recovery. In EU, MSW management could account for 18% of 2012 Kyoto target for 15 EU member states.

Overseas - CDM in Kyoto Protocol = opportunity for WM sector:•18% of 1,834 registered projects in 10/2009 = waste•Currently registered = deliver 209 M carbon credits by end of 2012•1 carbon credit = 1 t CO2e emission reduction

Global direct GHG emissions from WM = 1.3 GtCO2e or 3-5% total

anthropogenic emissions in 2005.

ISWA White Paper: ‘Waste and Climate Change’ December 2009

The resource economy

ISWA White Paper: ‘Waste and Climate Change’ December 2009

“Improved, harmonised

and transparent approaches

for both direct and

indirect emissions associated with waste

management activities must be

developed to complement

existing methodologie

s”

The resource economy

ISWA White Paper: ‘Waste and Climate Change’ December 2009

“Improved, harmonised

and transparent approaches

for both direct and

indirect emissions associated with waste

management activities must be

developed to complement

existing methodologie

s”

Waste management solutions to reduce GHG emissions

• Waste reduction – prevention & reuse - Zero Waste Scotland

• Recycling – reduction in energy spent in extraction/processing

• Composting – sequestration, reduced fertiliser production, peat substitution

• Recover energy from waste/waste processing - incineration/EfW, RDF, AD - thereby displacing fossil fuel

• Engineered landfilling (our own modern day ‘gas fields’)

UK NIR waste GHG emission reporting

• UK GHG emissions from WM = 3.2% total UK emissions in 2009; 69% decrease in waste emissions; 69% of CH4 generated in UK landfills now recovered.

• Scottish GHG emissions from landfill = 2.559 MtCO2e (4.8% total Scottish emissions in 2008)

CH4 emissions, T = [ x CH4 generated, T – RT ] (1-OXT)CH4 emitted in year T, GgT = inventory yearx = waste category or type of materialRT = recovered CH4 in year T, GgOXT = oxidation factor in year T (fraction)

UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 to 2009 April 2011

GHG Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales & NI: 1990-2008 Sept 2010

Current National Inventory Reporting:

• Waste = direct emissions (CH4 from landfill)

• Energy; Industrial Processes; Solvents & Other Product Use; Agriculture; LULUCF = indirect emissions

Defra GHG reporting guidelines - scopes

DECC/Defra Guidance on how to measure and report your greenhouse gas emissions 09/2009

Defra/DECC's GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting

August 2011 Guidelines to Defra/DECC’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting: Annex 9 LCA Emission Factors for waste emissions

“These conversion factors should be used to measure and report GHG emissions for:

1. Your organisation 2. Your personal carbon footprint 3. Other reasons such as project planning and GHG emission reductions projects.”

NB: Not for supply chain – double accounting

Distillery Business

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LCA Methodology

• Life Cycle Thinking informed by:– ISO 14040:2006 Principles and framework– ISO 14044:2006 Requirements and guidelines– PAS 2050 (2008)– World Resource Institute GHG Protocol Initiative– Also draws on work by Sevenster et al. (2007) in the Netherlands

• Climate change is used as a proxy indicator for all environmental impact

• Consumption approach to materials rather than territorial– Considers whole life cycle– But less compatible with CC Act

Carbon Factors• A summary of the carbon factors can be found on ZWS

website• Carbon impacts of materials based on LCA results• Designed to include additional data as it becomes available

Data sources• Sources include: trade associations, Eco-invent, IPCC, SEPA,

DEFRA, WRATE, WRAP studies• Quality assurance: less than 5 years old, representative of

Scotland, traceable data sources and clearly defined limits

Limitations:• Glass (old data)• Wood and paper (USA dataset)• Steel (estimated)• WEEE (incomplete study)• Footwear (USA dataset)

Exceptions:• Incinerator residues (exc. metals)• Florescent tubes• Vegetable oil• Furniture• Paint

Tonnage V Carbon impact example

Recy

cling

Rat

e (%

)

Focusing on Carbon

Total arisings (t)

Total recycled (t)

Tonnage RR Carbon Metric RR

Carbon Metric

• Will focus recycling efforts on materials with high carbon intensity

• Denominator is carbon metric factor x material arisings

• So how do we deal with waste reduction – need baseline year?

• Evolving technologies will change carbon potential• For example

• waste to electricity• Waste to electricity plus heat• Waste to biogas to gas grid• Waste to biogas to biomethane (transport fuel)

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Current Policy and Market Measures in the Waste Sector

How would and ETS system fit in?

page 20

Conclusions

• At the NIR level Waste has been dealt with from the GHG level – i.e. CH4 from Landfill and CO2 from incineration of fossil carbon.

• Production and Waste Sectors are not on a level playing field in terms of Carbon. Waste and Production should be better integrated.

• Waste Sector now has its own carbon metric informed by LCA thinking.

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