| For so long in the United Kingdom, as in so many | | | | after minimising and re-using it wherever possible, |
| other developed and industrializing nations, waste | | | | and a very effective way to reduce landfill |
| was just "rubbish". It had no value because landfill | | | | tonnage, is to incinerate it, and extract as much |
| was so cheap that doing anything other than | | | | energy from it as possible. |
| "throw it in a hole and try to forget about it" was | | | | Furthermore, if the incinerator operator invests |
| seen as expensive, and a waste of money. That | | | | some more money and instead of heating the air |
| finally changed in 2009. | | | | locally with the low grade heat the incinerator |
| In the United Kingdom a number of government | | | | creates after making electricity, heats factories, |
| policies, many driven by undertakings given to the | | | | schools, hospitals and possibly also homes in a |
| European Union, on diversion of waste (especially | | | | CHP scheme, the incinerator owner will be able to |
| organic waste) from landfill, started to take real | | | | claim subsidies known as ROCs. ROCs help to |
| effect. The need for the UK to import less | | | | reduce the cost of the incineration process. |
| energy, and the pledge to massively raise | | | | It is accepted by UK government policy that |
| renewable energy production by 2020 to reduce | | | | burning waste must only be done on the residue |
| carbon dioxide "greenhouse gas" emissions, added | | | | which is very hard to recycle, and modern |
| to the trend and all these at last began to act | | | | experience with the new types of facilities already |
| together. | | | | built and operating have been shown in practice to |
| The final piece of the jigsaw came from the | | | | now be so tightly regulated that hazardous |
| Inland Revenue in April 2009 and is known as the | | | | emissions are a thing of the past. |
| landfill tax escalator under which every year, the | | | | So recycling is going up, landfill is going down, and |
| tax on each tonne of waste sent to landfill rises. | | | | waste now has a value. To the waste |
| The politicians must love this tax which is aimed | | | | management industry professional and |
| at reducing the waste sent to landfill (diverting it), | | | | entrepreneur it has the potential value that is the |
| and many companies offering recycling services | | | | difference between what it would cost to the |
| to commercial customers found themselves able | | | | waste producer to get rid of it to landfill, and |
| to offer their environmentally sound ("sustainable") | | | | what it can be sold for after the processing cost |
| waste disposal service at very competitive prices | | | | to make it into a raw material for another |
| relative to the old landfillers. | | | | process/product. |
| There is also now a regulation which requires that | | | | This magical point is known as a, so called, "tipping |
| all waste must be processed or "pre-treated" | | | | point" and it has now been reached for many |
| before it is sent to landfill, and the pre-treatment | | | | waste companies operating in the UK. So, for our |
| must reduce its potential to cause harm while it | | | | rubbish, what has a value today in recycled raw |
| rests in the landfill. That also has increased landfill | | | | materials resource markets would have been an |
| costs and made recycling more viable, especially | | | | out of pocket cost for the processor, only last |
| since taking out more recyclables is the most | | | | year. It is all about relative costs and the result is |
| obvious processing to do. | | | | that suddenly waste has become a resource |
| Now, one of the best ways to pre-treat waste | | | | optimisation opportunity. |