Energy Recovery - The Facts

Veolia sheffield Energy Recovery - The Facts

The Environmentally Safe and Sustainable Option

We cannot keep burying rubbish at landfill sites. People talk a lot these days about global warming and greenhouse gases - landfill is a major contributor to these problems and that’s why it is essential we use alternative methods of waste management.

Energy Recovery is an excellent method of avoiding landfill. It is safe and will not harm your community or your environment.

But don’t just take our word for it, here is what the experts say:

"Converting waste into energy solves two problems at once: It diverts rubbish from landfill sites: and it reduces greenhouse gas emissions because it avoids the need to burn fossil fuels to produce energy. It has the added bonus of providing a relatively deep stream of fuel."
Financial Times - 23rd October 2006

"Dioxin emissions from an energy-from-waste plant operating to the new pollution control standards will not pose a health risk to people living near the plant, irrespective of the location and size of the plant, the profile of the people concerned (such as nursing children) or the activities of the surrounding area (such as other industrial processes)."
Environmental Agency

"Incinerators emit pollutants into the environment but provided they comply with modern regulatory requirements, such as the Waste Incineration Directive, they should contribute little to the concentrations of monitored pollutants in the ambient air."
UK Health Protection Agency

The Real Facts about Energy Recovery

Are Energy Recovery Facilities Safe?

  • Yes, they are a tried and tested method of managing waste but they are also highly regulated and subject to stringent government directives and rules.
  • All of the emissions that are considered to pose any risk at high levels will be measured continuously or periodically to ensure that they stay within accepted levels.
  • The emissions from the ERF will be restricted. These emissions have been assessed by the UK Health Protection Agency which has found little effect on health. In addition to this the facility must also meet the European Unions strict Waste Incineration Directive criteria.
  • We will comply with emission levels set in an operating permit from the Environment Agency. These limits are set, in turn, with reference to levels in the environment that have been assessed as acceptable for their longterm and short-term effects on local populations by institutions such as the World Health Organisation.
  • The way in which the process is operated is also monitored, controlled, and reported to the Environment Agency.

 Your Environment: Safe with Veolia Environmental Services

  • Energy Recovery with District Energy as part of an integrated waste management system helps to create the best practical environmental option for Sheffield. Heat provided by the District Energy network, powered by the ERF, prevents around 21,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from being released every year.
  • The ERF helps to save around 2.5 tonnes of carbon emissions every hour.
  • We endeavour to avoid disturbing any natural habitats as part of the construction or operation of the facility and take steps to create new habitats for the wildlife wherever required.
  • We work with environmental organisations and landowners to ensure the appropriate steps are taken to preserve local wildlife habitats.

 

 

The Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) in Sheffield, generates electricity for the National Grid and heat for the city's award winning District Energy Network from the rubbish you and your family put in your black wheeled bin.
Sheffield Emissions Data