Presented at the 4th International Conference on Carbon Accounting 25th November 2011 www.icarb.org

1. Carbon Accounting – Waste Management

2. Acknowledgements
• Kimberley Pratt – Zero Waste Scotland
• Sheila Scott and Charlie Russell

3. International Solid Waste Association

4. Waste & Climate Change: some numbers
Global direct GHG emissions from
WM = 1.3 GtCO2e or 3-5% total Between 1990 & 2007 total global
anthropogenic emissions in 2005. GHG emissions from waste sector
declined from 69 Mt to 32 Mt for
the 36 Annex 1 industrialised
countries & EITs - LF CH4
In EU, MSW management could
recovery.
account for 18% of 2012 Kyoto
target for 15 EU member states.
Overseas - CDM in Kyoto Protocol = opportunity for WM sector:
•18% of 1,834 registered projects in 10/2009 = waste
•Currently registered = deliver 209 M carbon credits by end of 2012
•1 carbon credit = 1 t CO2e emission reduction
ISWA White Paper: „Waste and Climate Change‟ December 2009

5. “Improved,
harmonised
The resource economy and transparent
approaches for
both direct and
indirect
emissions
associated with
waste
management
activities must
be developed
to complement
existing
methodologies”
ISWA White Paper: „Waste and Climate Change‟ December 2009

6. “Improved,
harmonised
The resource economy and transparent
approaches for
both direct and
indirect
emissions
associated with
waste
management
activities must
be developed
to complement
existing
methodologies”
ISWA White Paper: „Waste and Climate Change‟ December 2009

7. Waste management solutions to reduce GHG emissions
• Waste reduction – prevention & reuse - Zero Waste Scotland
• Recycling – reduction in energy spent in extraction/processing
• Composting – sequestration, reduced fertiliser production, peat
substitution
• Recover energy from waste/waste processing - incineration/EfW,
RDF, AD - thereby displacing fossil fuel
• Engineered landfilling (our own modern day „gas fields‟)

8. UK NIR waste GHG emission reporting
CH4 emissions, T =
Current National Inventory [ x CH4 generated, T – RT ] (1-OXT)
Reporting: CH4 emitted in year T, Gg
T = inventory year
• Waste = direct emissions (CH4 x = waste category or type of material
from landfill) RT = recovered CH4 in year T, Gg
OXT = oxidation factor in year T (fraction)
• Energy; Industrial Processes;
Solvents & Other Product
Use; Agriculture; LULUCF =
indirect emissions
• UK GHG emissions from WM = 3.2% total UK emissions in
2009; 69% decrease in waste emissions; 69% of CH4
generated in UK landfills now recovered.
UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 to 2009 April 2011
• Scottish GHG emissions from landfill = 2.559 MtCO2e
(4.8% total Scottish emissions in 2008)
GHG Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales & NI: 1990-2008 Sept 2010

9. Defra GHG reporting guidelines - scopes
DECC/Defra Guidance on how to measure and report your greenhouse gas emissions
09/2009

10. Defra/DECC's GHG Conversion Factors for Company
Reporting
“These conversion factors should be used to
measure and report GHG emissions for:
1. Your organisation
2. Your personal carbon footprint
3. Other reasons such as project planning and
GHG emission reductions projects.”
NB: Not for supply chain – double accounting
August 2011 Guidelines to Defra/DECC‟s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for
Company Reporting: Annex 9 LCA Emission Factors for waste emissions

11. Distillery Business
page 11

12. LCA Methodology
• Life Cycle Thinking informed by:
– ISO 14040:2006 Principles and framework
– ISO 14044:2006 Requirements and guidelines
– PAS 2050 (2008)
– World Resource Institute GHG Protocol Initiative
– Also draws on work by Sevenster et al. (2007) in the Netherlands
• Climate change is used as a proxy indicator for all environmental impact
• Consumption approach to materials rather than territorial
– Considers whole life cycle
– But less compatible with CC Act

13. Carbon Factors
• A summary of the carbon factors can be found on ZWS website
• Carbon impacts of materials based on LCA results
• Designed to include additional data as it becomes available

14. Data sources
• Sources include: trade associations, Eco-invent, IPCC, SEPA, DEFRA,
WRATE, WRAP studies
• Quality assurance: less than 5 years old, representative of Scotland,
traceable data sources and clearly defined limits
Limitations: Exceptions:
• Glass (old data) • Incinerator residues (exc. metals)
• Wood and paper (USA dataset) • Florescent tubes
• Steel (estimated) • Vegetable oil
• WEEE (incomplete study) • Furniture
• Footwear (USA dataset) • Paint

16. Tonnage V Carbon impact example
Recycling Rate (%)

17. Focusing on Carbon
Total arisings (t) Total recycled (t) Tonnage RR Carbon Metric RR

18. Carbon Metric
• Will focus recycling efforts on materials with high carbon
intensity
• Denominator is carbon metric factor x material arisings
• So how do we deal with waste reduction – need baseline year?
• Evolving technologies will change carbon potential
• For example
• waste to electricity
• Waste to electricity plus heat
• Waste to biogas to gas grid
• Waste to biogas to biomethane (transport fuel)
page 18

19. Current Policy and Market Measures in the Waste Sector

20. How would and ETS system fit in?
page 20

21. Conclusions
• At the NIR level Waste has been dealt with from the GHG
level – i.e. CH4 from Landfill and CO2 from incineration of
fossil carbon.
• Production and Waste Sectors are not on a level playing field
in terms of Carbon. Waste and Production should be better
integrated.
• Waste Sector now has its own carbon metric informed by
LCA thinking.
page 21