{"id":1187,"date":"2026-06-23T11:25:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T11:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/?p=1187"},"modified":"2026-06-23T16:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:13:33","slug":"from-waste-to-climate-leadership-how-the-sector-is-cutting-carbon-in-real-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/23\/from-waste-to-climate-leadership-how-the-sector-is-cutting-carbon-in-real-time\/","title":{"rendered":"From waste to climate leadership: How the sector is cutting carbon in real time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/div>\n

\"Resources<\/h4>\n

Jessica Bradley explores how the resources and waste sector is cutting carbon in real time and becoming a climate leader as an industry.<\/h4>\n

While reducing and avoiding waste is an integral part of the circular economy, some waste will always be inevitable. At the crux of this challenge is preserving the embodied energy of products and materials, and sequestering harmful gases caused as a byproduct of these materials.<\/p>\n

The waste sector has a hugely important role to play in the circular economy, sitting in a complex web alongside consumers, producers and businesses, where responsibilities and climate change mitigation reporting are entangled.<\/p>\n

So how can the waste sector continue to cut its carbon emissions, and what stands in its way?<\/p>\n

The current picture<\/h2>\n
\"waste\"
By 2010, the sector\u2019s emissions had dropped by 55% from the 1990 baseline date used for carbon accounting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By all accounts, the UK waste sector has a good track record of reducing emissions. By 2010, the sector\u2019s emissions had dropped by 55% from the 1990<\/a> baseline date used for carbon accounting.<\/p>\n

Its contribution to the total UK emissions also declined from 10% to 6%. This fall is mostly due to reductions in methane emissions from landfill<\/a>, which have decreased by 45% over the last four decades.<\/a><\/p>\n

The sector was responsible for around 6% of total greenhouse gas<\/a> (GHG) emissions in 2024, according to government statistics. This was a 4% decrease from the previous year, largely thanks to a reduction in landfill emissions.<\/p>\n

These achievements have been made possible by the many improvements across the sector to data and reporting, infrastructure, energy efficiency and operational changes, as well as treatment innovation, and circular approaches, such as fleet transition, and improved material recovery.<\/p>\n

In 2021, the sector committed to reach net zero by 2040<\/a> \u2013 with \u00a310bn invested in recycling infrastructure \u2013 and to decarbonise non-recyclable waste treatment by diverting organic waste from landfill to recycling and energy production by 2030. It also committed to removing plastics from energy recovery facilities.<\/p>\n

The waste sector has seen a lot of policy changes recently, and there are more to come, says Steve Vaughan-Jones, technical director\u00a0at consulting firm\u00a0WSP.<\/p>\n

This includes the UK emissions trading scheme<\/a>, which waste facilities will be enrolled in from 2028. Any waste going to a waste facility will be subject to this scheme, to which there is carbon pricing attached that\u2019s linked to fossil content within residual waste.<\/p>\n

This presents an opportunity to apply technologies to mitigate such costs, including carbon capture technologies, Vaughan-Jones says, and taking fossil fuel content from residual waste.<\/p>\n

There are parallel policy measures, he says, including the government\u2019s Simpler Recycling scheme, which aims to boost recycling rates and reduce waste sent to landfill or incineration by standardising waste collection and introducing separate streams for recyclable materials. It will mandate all local authorities to extract more difficult-to-recycle plastics by 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is also predicted to have huge implications for the sector, and will support the segregation of fossil contents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an opportunity to find something more pragmatic and sustainable to manage those difficult-to-recycle plastics,\u201d says Vaughan-Jones. \u201cThere is some technology emerging, but it\u2019s not yet at a commercial scale in the UK.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The EPR scheme will also incentivise the right design behaviours, so that packaging is designed in a way that allows it to be readily removed and recycled at the end of its life, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How the sector collectively solves the rising amount of difficult-to-recycle plastics it will be collecting from next year is going to be hugely significant, Vaughan-Jones adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing the emergence of chemical recycling facilities to address this, but it\u2019s not yet proven at a commercial scale, so there\u2019s still a long way to go,\u201d Vaughan-Jones says.<\/p>\n

The bigger picture\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\"carbon
The sector is intrinsically linked to a wider picture that includes waste prevention, as well as carbon capture technology.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The waste sector rarely controls the materials it handles, which sets it apart from other industries. It receives waste after many decisions that influence its carbon footprint have already been made and executed.<\/p>\n

This includes its packaging design, how it\u2019s been manufactured and transported, and how it\u2019s been used and consumed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This position is the starting point for much debate around how much control<\/a> it can wield over its own carbon footprint, as well as how much it can be accountable for in the first place.<\/p>\n

The sector is intrinsically linked to a wider picture that includes waste prevention, as well as carbon capture technology.<\/p>\n

Some experts, including Suez, argue that the sector\u2019s progress here also depends partly on developments elsewhere, as carbon capture requires wider infrastructure, including transport networks and storage systems.<\/p>\n

But the contribution of waste and resource management to the mitigation of climate heating is significant, says David Wilson, independent consultant and visiting professor in resource and waste management at Imperial College London.<\/p>\n

Part of this picture is the issue that the sector has contributed to more carbon savings than it is given credit for, Wilson argues, due to the IPPC\u2019s way of reporting climate change mitigation, which is set according to IPPC sectoral categories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way IPPC develops its data is fairly rigid; and rightly so, because it is paranoid double-counting,\u201d says Wilson.<\/p>\n

But this means that, if the waste industry recycles materials that go back into the economy, any carbon savings are not credited to the waste sector, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe waste sector sits at the end, providing raw materials to other industries who benefit from that. If you look at it sector by sector, the waste industry doesn\u2019t get credit for that in IPPC terms,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

According to a 2024 European Environment Agency report<\/a>, the potential emission reductions due to circular economy measures are underestimated partly because of this strict sectoral reporting structure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Experts call for a more coordinated system for reporting that reflects cross-sectoral circular economy activities, breaking down silos and increasing coordination between sectors to recognise that the circular economy and climate change are cross-sectoral.<\/p>\n

More widely, CIWM and numerous other experts argue that<\/a> the answer to the waste sector reaching net zero is collaboration across all sectors and supply chains to ensure that professionals can influence the choice of materials, improve end-of-life outcomes, and ultimately, drive materials up the waste hierarchy.<\/p>\n

The last hurdle<\/h2>\n
\"Carbon
The Climate Change Committee has called for all EfW plants to have carbon capture and storage by 2040.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe waste sector has made tremendous progress towards decarbonisation over a long time,\u201d says Sam Gillick-Daniels, lead analyst at WRAP, where he is in charge of producing a net-zero waste plan for the waste sector.<\/p>\n

This is despite the challenges it\u2019s been dealt that are outside of its control, including a combination of government policy, regulatory enforcement, and people and business behaviour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When you look at the challenges and what\u2019s outside the sector\u2019s control, you\u2019d expect these to come into play for the last third of the journey to net zero, he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it was easy, it would have been done already. This was always going to be the hard part because the tricky bits are left to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there are three main levers of change to reach net zero, says Gillick-Daniels. The first is capturing methane, which is eight times more potent as a climate gas than CO2.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs capturing as much as possible, and either burned to reduce its potency, or used as a fuel somewhere else,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In England, landfills currently capture around 55% of gas, which needs to improve to around 85%, Gillick-Daniels says, but the economic case doesn\u2019t currently facilitate a lot of action to get it up to this rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s within the ability of landfill operators to stay on top of the degradation and faults of having a fully capped and covered site, but it involves a high cost, Gillick-Daniels says.<\/p>\n

The government is incentivising this under the Renewables Obligation scheme, but no new landfills can receive this, and it only lasts for 20 years. The government is currently looking into a transitional agreement for when the fund drops off, Gillick-Daniels says, but there have been no details on this yet.<\/p>\n

The second lever of change, says Gillick-Daniels, is capturing carbon emissions via thermal treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEnergy from waste (EfW) facilities present an opportunity for further decarbonisation in the sector,\u201d he says. \u201cInstalling carbon capture technology at some facilities<\/a> could reduce emissions further.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Climate Change Committee has called for all EfW plants to have carbon capture and storage<\/a> by 2040. The sector is expected to save 10.3 million tonnes of direct emissions by 2035, and 8.3 million tonnes of indirect savings through better resource efficiency. But, experts point out, there is a shortfall of treatment capacity<\/a>, with the sector having to reduce emissions while managing rising volumes of residual waste.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The industry has been looking into this for a while, and there are two sites in contract negotiations with the government for financial support, but nothing is set in stone yet, Gillick-Daniels says.<\/p>\n

WRAP is looking at an estimate of space viability of around two-thirds of current sites that might be able to have the technology, he says. This would involve passing gas that\u2019s burning energy through a chemical process, with a high electricity cost on top of the infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this is a very expensive technological transition, with estimates of around \u00a312bn for those 40 sites to have capture technology,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Another barrier is the ability to transport the carbon to be stored.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a site isn\u2019t close to a pipeline, non-pipeline transport costs are a significant barrier for all industry looking to implement carbon capture and storage,\u201d says Gillick-Daniels.<\/p>\n

The third lever is vehicle electrification, as the vast majority of waste vehicles are currently diesel. But there are many practical challenges to overcome with this transition, Gillick-Daniels says \u2013 mainly how vehicles will get around and back to the depot before needing to be charged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cVehicles will need to be charged before they return \u2013 how can you charge a collection vehicle mid-round? It needs infrastructure, which isn\u2019t in the control of the industry,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are huge potential costs associated with moving waste collection fleets to zero-emission vehicles, and the charging infrastructure and<\/a> deployment of renewable and alternative fuels will need to play into this.<\/p>\n

Despite this, the sector has committed to buying only zero emissions collection vehicles from 2030, phasing out petrol and diesel entirely by 2040, and<\/a> moving all vehicle and all on-site fuel use to zero emissions sources by 2040.<\/p>\n

The future of the waste sector\u2019s net-zero efforts\u00a0<\/h2>\n

When it comes to reducing the remaining carbon footprint of the sector, there are various barriers, over which the sector has varying levels of control. Because of this, reaching net zero will remain a difficult concept for the waste sector, says Steve Vaughan-Jones.<\/p>\n

\u201cFunding is going to be key,\u201d he says. \u201cThere needs to be opportunities to take mitigating actions, particularly on the public sector side; there needs to be support, funding and direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many experts argue that the sector wields considerable potential for mitigating climate change. And there are many technological advances and policy changes on the horizon that offer hope.<\/p>\n

The post From waste to climate leadership: How the sector is cutting carbon in real time<\/a> appeared first on Circular Online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Jessica Bradley explores how the resources and waste sector is cutting carbon in real […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1187"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1187"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1188,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1187\/revisions\/1188"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/businesssinglesmeet.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}