This document discusses strategies for waste management in transition economies. It begins with an introduction of the author and his expertise. It then explores themes for transition economies, including increasing GDP, population, and waste generation. Institutional needs like measuring waste and changing legislation are discussed. Economic needs involve understanding the value in waste materials and different service provision options. The document considers if recycling and energy recovery can coexist and socioeconomic needs like job creation. It emphasizes developing an integrated strategy considering these various factors and priorities waste hierarchy. The strategy should be realistic and consider behavioral changes, interdependencies, and "no regret" investments.

1. Transition Economy Waste Strategies
and the Energy vs Recycling Debate
Prof Adam Read
Practice Director

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• A Personal Welcome
• Themes of a Transition Economy
• Institutional Needs
• Economic Needs
• Can recycling and energy recovery co-exist?
• Socio-economic Needs
• Integrated Strategy
Overview

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• Practice Director @ Ricardo-AEA
– 70 staff (UK based)
– a business worth $10M per annum
• World-renowned expert on waste & recycling
service design, technologies & communications
• 20 years’ of sector experience (UK & overseas)
• Track record includes important strategy
commissions in the
– Middle East, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Romania,
Costa Rica, Egypt, Australia and the USA
• Former Local Authority Recycling Officer
• Fellow of the CIWM & Member of ISWA
A personal welcome

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Themes of a Transition
Economy

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• Reducing government control
• Adopting an open approach, based on supply and demand
– Former Soviet Union Countries, Poland, China, Brazil, South
Africa, etc.
• Increasing GDP
• Increasing employment / population
• Increasing demand for energy
• Need for security of supply chain (materials and energy)
• Need a waste management system to cope!
Themes of a Transition Economy

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Increasing GDP
• Increasing Population
– Increasing Generation
• Changes in Waste
Characteristics
– Urbanisation
– Packaging
– Food and Garden Wastes
• Behavioural change
required to arrest growth
UNDESA, 2010

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Generation rates and composition is driven by household income
City of Johannesburg, CSIR, 2015
Increasing GDP
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
High Middle Low
Household waste
Median (kg/household)
Nov
Jun

8. ArRiyadh Waste Management Strategy –
The Vision & Strategic Framework.Changing Institutional
Needs

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“What gets measured gets managed” (Peter Drucker)
Changing Institutional Needs
• Agree short, medium & long term waste management objectives!
• What data is required?
• Do you measure it, or if not how can you?

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Changing Institutional Needs
• Legislative & fiscal drivers change behaviour:
– Policy : modern waste management
overlaps Waste, Environment, Energy,
Resources and Carbon
– Regulation and enforcement
– Stakeholder Consultation / Publicity /
Education
– Economics
– Socio-economic Impact etc.

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Institutional Drivers

12. Mega Trends - Cities.
Economic Needs

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• There is value in the bin:
– Reusable materials
– Recyclable materials
– Fuel - Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) or Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)
– Bio-fuel
– Energy
• Understand actual costs and revenues
• Improve cost recovery
• Need push and pull factors
• Offtake markets
• Waste service provider
Economics

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• Recycling / Composting
– Formal / Informal
– Kerbside sorting / Drop Off Centres
– Centralised Sorting Facility
– A residual fraction will remain
– Manual = many jobs
• Fuel Production
– Centralised recovery of recyclates
– Bio-treatment of residue:
• Bio-dry to remove moisture and produce a higher CV
Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF)
• Anaerobic Digestion to produce methane
– A residual fraction will remain
– Manual = many jobs
Economics – Service Provision

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• Third Party Offtake - Cement Kiln
– SRF co-combusted in a kiln to offset coal consumption
– Ash forms part of cement product
– Who funds modification of the kiln?
– Automated = few jobs
• Waste to Energy (WtE)
– Valorisation of RDF or Biofuel to produce:
• Power exported to the grid
• Heat exported to third party users
– Advanced Thermal Conversion of fuel to produce:
• Chemicals exported to third party users
– Residues (ash and reagents) to landfill
– Automated = few jobs
Economics – Service Provision

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• Landfill
– Phase out Dumping and Burning
– Weighbridge
– Engineered Cells
– Landfill gas management
– Leachate management
– Manual = jobs
• Collection
– What?
– How?
– Where?
– Preventative Maintenance
– Manual = many jobs
Economics – Service Provision

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20
Are Recycling and WtE
Compatible?

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• Yes but needs long term planning ......
Are Recycling and WtE Compatible?

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Socio-Economics of Waste Management

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Socio-Economics of Waste Management

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• Job Creation
• Improve supply chain security through sustainable resource recovery
– Recyclates / Compost
– Alternative Fuels
– Power / Heat
• Role of the Informal Sector
– Safer working environment
– Impact on recovery rates
– Monitoring informal operations
– Can the informal be formalised?
• Best value is all of the above!
Socio-Economics
Dumping
and
Burning
Landfill Composting
Energy
Recovery
Reuse /
Recycling
Alternative
Fuel
Production
Collection

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Developing an Integrated
Strategy

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• Designed to offer best Socio-economic value
– Recyclates / Compost
– Fuel (solid and liquid)
– Energy (power, heat)
– Don’t forget landfill
• Which solution is best for you?
– Strategic Objectives
– Legislation (waste, energy & climate change)
– Institutional Arrangements
– Collection charges / Levies / Landfill Tax
– Project Funding and Budgets
– Other stakeholders
• Don’t forget the Implementation Plan
Develop a Strategy

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• Consider the Transition Economy Waste
Hierarchy
– Landfill first to stop dumping & burning
– Then recycling and composting
– Then energy recovery
• Realistic timelines
– Consider institutional structuring,
capacity building and data capture first
– Don’t be tempted to shortcut the
process and build a WtE plant first
– Landfill is an important part of an
integrated waste management system
– Offtake markets need time to mature
Integrate your Systems and Services
Most environmentally and socio-economically preferred option
Least environmentally and socio-economically preferred option
Reuse
Recycle / Compost
Energy Recovery
Landfill
Dumping and Burning

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• Requires a behavioral change!
– Carrots and Sticks
– Stakeholder Consultation / Publicity /
Education
• Consider Interdependencies
– Future Waste Growth
– Consumer Trends
– Waste Composition
– Collection Techniques
– Recycling and Composting
– Residual Waste Treatment
– Residue Disposal
Integrate your Systems and Services
Most environmentally and socio-economically preferred option
Least environmentally and socio-economically preferred option
Reuse
Recycle / Compost
Energy Recovery
Landfill
Dumping and Burning

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Investment Options
Collection
Recycling /
Composting
SRF to Cement Kiln
RDF to Waste to
Energy
Landfill diversion N/A Low - Medium High High
Demand for Product
/ Energy
N/A Varies Varies
High (Power)
Varies (Heat)
Offtake market N/A
Local, National &
International
Local, National &
International
Local (power)
Employment
opportunities
High
High (inc. informal
sector)
Low Low
Flexibility to changes
in feedstock
characteristics
High
Medium – High
(manual picking)
Low
Medium
(conventional
incineration)
Low (advanced
thermal)
Technology risk Low Low
Subject to MSW
characteristics
Low (conventional
incineration)
High (advanced
thermal)
Relative Capital Cost Low Low Low - Medium High
Relative Operational
Cost
Low - Medium Low - Medium Low - Medium High
Transition Economy
Reference Cases
Increasing Common Increasing Limited

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• Institutional Structuring (will change behaviour and attract investment)
– Legislation - overlaps waste, energy and climate change
– Regulate and enforce
– Start measuring data
– Cost recovery
• Stop Dumping and Burning
– Sanitary Landfill will always be part of an integrated solution
– Collection and Recycling are cheaper, lower risk and generate more
jobs than the residual treatments
• Why rush to build an expensive WtE plant?
• Recycling and WtE are complimentary if you:
– Prepare a long term strategy & integrate your waste systems
What are the ‘no-regret investments’?

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Good Morning!

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Prof. Adam Read
Global Practice Director
Resource Efficiency & Waste Management
Ricardo-AEA
07968 707 239
adam.read@ricardo.com
ee.ricardo.com
@AdamRead74
Any one for a coffee .....