The New Technologies Workstream for Solid Waste Management in England: A Demonstrator Programme to evaluate novel cost-effective methods to manage Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW)

摘要

The reform of the UK Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, in November 2002, enabled funding to be available for a more strategic approach to sustainable waste management in England. In response to recommendations made by the Strategy Unit (England), in Waste Not Want Not (November 2002), a new programme was announced that would be delivered by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) has a number of strands, one of these being the Demonstrator Programme which has £30 million funding (2004-2007) to finance the development of at least 10 demonstrator plants that will divert some 240,000 tonnes per annum of BMW. The Technologies Advisory Committee (TAC) have driven forward the agenda and developed a robust programme that: "Funds R&D and demonstration projects in support of technology and processes to reduce and divert BMSW from Landfill and up the hierarchy." The programme led by TAC will enable authorities in England to tackle the major problem raised by EU Drivers in relation to BMW; these could result in penalties of up to £0.5 million per day. TAC is charged to develop a programme with at least 4 different types of technologies and placed strategically across England in a range of typical environments. The programme cannot support commercial projects, only those which can be classified as Industrial Research and Pre-competitive Development Activity. The initial Phase of TAC selected some 7 projects from an initial submission of around 50. It is informative to consider that the UK is still in a position whereby it has to demonstrate technologies that have been applied in mainland Europe for some time. This indicates that waste management has been of very low priority in the UK and only recently, and by the application of EU Drivers, has a coherent, national demonstration programme been intsigated.