The technology contributes to the reduction of landfills and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions
The Brazilian Association for Waste Energy Recovery (Abren) and the Global Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council (Global WtERT Council) publicly rebut the points defended by Clauber Leite, of the Pólis Institute, in an article titled Junk energy, an illusionpublished in the May 10 edition of this newspaper.
It is important to clarify that there is no scientific evidence that these power plants they are harmful to the environment. It is a mature and reliable technology, with over 2,600 units in commercial operation worldwide. For example, non-recyclable waste from Japan (70%), China (55%), the European Union (30%) and the United States (12%) is processed in Waste-to-Energy (WtE) energy recovery plants. , where waste is transformed into electricity and heat.
Countries that use WtE plants the most are also the ones that recycle the most, as only what is sent to the plant is recycled garbage not recyclable, as shown by the statistics of the European Union and the World Bank. There is therefore no conflict between this technology and the collectors of recyclable materials, who receive the waste even before it is sent to the plants, to the selection centers or through the collection and transport system.
Contrary to the claim that WtE stimulates waste generation, studies show that this technology contributes to the reduction of landfills and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Methane emissions from landfills are a major source of greenhouse gases, as only 50% is captured and WtE plants are identified by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as the most effective way to mitigate methane , a gas 80 times more harmful than CO2.
It is worth mentioning that for every BRL 1.00 invested in WtE facilities, BRL 2.00 is not spent on the environment and BRL 1.00 on public health, and the EU Circular Economy Treaty stipulates that its action plan states that sending non-recyclable waste to WtE facilities is preferable to sending it to landfill.
The first plant of this type in the country, under construction in Barueri (SP), should go into operation in 2025. However, the sector is already encountering resistance and the diffusion of fake news which could jeopardize the future of this plant and jeopardize the objectives set by the National Solid Waste Plan (Planares) for energy recovery, which provides for 994 megawatts by 2040, not only to generate energy, but to protect the available drinking water on the planet and reduce public health spending, estimated at R$5.4 billion annually in Brazil (International Solid Waste Association, 2015).
Source: Terra
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