EfW best option for healthcare waste says Veolia
LONDON: Veolia has today claimed energy from waste (EfW) is the best disposal option for orange bagged healthcare waste.
The waste management company says by using ‘energy recovery facilities’ (ERFs), clinical and infectious waste can be safely and compliantly destroyed.
Veolia also says this type of disposal achieves more than 60% reductions in carbon emissions compared to other commonly applied treatments.
Richard Kirkman, chief technology and innovation officer for Veolia UK & Ireland, said: “The UK has a legal obligation to meet a Net Zero Carbon position by 2050, which will benefit the UK in terms of environment.
“As we look to cut carbon and develop energy resilience, one area where we believe significant emissions reductions can be achieved is in clinical waste treatment, specifically for orange bagged waste.
“As we look to build a green recovery following the pandemic, using ERF technology could help make a real contribution to lowering the carbon footprint of healthcare.”
Clinical waste
Veolia says it disposes of more than 61,000 tonnes of orange bagged clinical and infectious waste through EfW each year.
n May Veolia launched a service for the collection and treatment of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus pandemic.
Veolia uses EfW to treat clinical waste at two plants: Tyseley ERF and Staffordshire ERF.
The waste management company says EfW energy consumption is “very low”, at around 1 kWh per tonne of waste treated. By contrast, it claims electricity generation is high, at around 690 kWh per tonne of waste treated.
The Environment Agency approved Veolia’s application to alter its environmental permit to allow the processing of healthcare orange bagged waste at its plant at Tyseley, Birmingham, in June.
Veolia operates 10 EfW plants across the UK, which generate around 1.4TWh of electricity through the treatment of non-recyclable waste. This process provides enough electricity for more 430,000 homes, Veolia says.
Process
Veolia claims steam treatment through autoclaving is the most applied treatment option for clinical waste, which includes contaminated swabs, gloves, paper towels, dressings, aprons, and masks.
The process uses a lot of energy and typically involves shredding followed by disinfection using steam, Veolia says, and generates waste ‘flock’ that requires transport and disposal at landfill.
Comparing these treatments with use of ERF technology shows that the carbon savings at ERF result in a net carbon footprint of 109 kgCO2e/tonne of clinical waste treated, compared to 264 kgCO2e/tonne for autoclave plus ERF and 159 kgCO2e/tonne for autoclave plus landfill, the waste management company says.
