Incineration and Thermal Treatment for Energy Recovery

Incineration is an established method of treating waste to reduce its volume and weight before disposal or to remove the hazardous content of materials. Incinerators range from small plants serving factories or hospitals to large scale installations for the treatment of municipal and other wastes. Incinerators have the potential for energy recovery in the form of electricity and/or heat and power which may provide additional environmental benefit and is higher up the waste hierarchy than treatment without energy recovery (paragraph 1.21). Incinerators and other thermal treatment facilities such as pyrolysis and gasification will be expected to maximise energy recovery in the form of electricity and/or heat and power, subject to the feed waste stream and prevailing technology and economics. This policy relates to all incineration facilities with the exception of those designed to be ancillary to an existing development and special waste facilities where energy recovery is not practical.