SUEZ [a French multinational utility company] Signs 25 Year Deal to Supply Heat From Belgrade Waste to Energy Project

The deal will have a consortium of companies processing 500,000 tons of municipal waste and 200,000 tons of construction and demolition waste annually beginning in 2020, to provide heating to the city of Belgrade, and reducing natural gas consumption from the city’s largest thermal-energy plant by 80% during the cold season. It will also lead to the closure of a 40-hectare (98-acre) active landfill site, one of the 50 largest in the world.

3-Stage Membrane for Biogas Upgrading Plants Coming to New York State

A Dutch company, Bright Biomethane, is upgrading biogas produced from manure in Upstate New York. The gas will be compressed and then injected into pipelines to be used to generate energy. The 3-step membrane technology provides maximum methane (CH4) recover exceeding 99.5%.

Japanese Ministry of Economy Trade Backs Plastic Waste to Hydrogen Tech

A United Kingdom-based company, Powerhouse Energy, is bringing is DMG process to Japan, a method to convert plastic waste to hydrogen to generate electricity. Under the name Waste2Tricity, the goal will be to create a zero-carbon emitting energy source while removing waste plastic from the environment. Japan is currently investing in the development of a Road Map for Hydrogen Infrastructure.

First Large-Scale Organic Waste to Energy Facility to Go-Ahead in New Zealand

New Zealand is launching its first large-scale waste-to-energy plant to take food waste and turn it into renewable biogas energy. The energy derived will be used to power greenhouses as well as New Zealand homes. The government noted that every year 327,000 tons of food waste enters landfill sites in the country. By turning it into biogas, it is hoped it can help lower overall national carbon emissions. The Reporoa Organic Waste Recovery Facility will receive its first supply of organic waste from a neighbouring greenhouse tomato grower, amounting to 1,000 tons of tomato vines per year. The facility’s capacity is 20,000 tons annually and should be more than adequately supplied by neighbouring dairy processors, commercial bakeries, milk sheds, and fruit grading facilities.

Creating a Circular Economy Around Waste Management

The world of waste management these days talks about the circularity gap. The gap is defined as the delta between what our modern society creates and discards, and what can be achieved by repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling. This is what is meant by a circular economy arguing that climate change and material use are inheritably linked. It is estimated that 62% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, not including what is produced from land use and forestry, comes from the extraction, processing, and manufacturing of what we consume. The remaining 38% of GHG emissions come during delivery and use. That’s why the waste management world is gung-ho about altering our existing economic paradigm – reducing dependence on new extraction of resources by reusing what is already in our hands, and ensuring that any residual waste products can also be repurposed. In this way, economic growth no longer has to be tied to rising carbon emissions.

The C40 cities group, of which I have written often in the past, (just type “C40” in the site search window to find currently, 16 different articles) currently has 94 members. And they are into a zero-waste initiative in which city members have pledged:

1. To reduce municipal solid waste generation per capita by a minimum of 15% by 2030 compared to 2015.
2. To reduce municipal solid waste disposed of in landfill or in incineration by a minimum of 50% by 2030 compared to 2015.
3. To increase the diversion rate of municipal waste by 70% by 2030 compared to 2015.

The actions that C40 members have agreed to achieve the above three milestones include:

• Reducing food losses and the wasting of food at the retail and consumer level by decreasing losses along production and supply chains, minimizing the production of surplus food, and facilitating safe food donation and by-products for feed production.
• Implementing source-separated collection of food scraps and other organics and creating a treatment infrastructure that recovers nutrients, energy and contributes to the restoration of carbon storage capacity in soils.
• Supporting the implementation of extended producer responsibility and sustainable procurement, and the reduction and banning of single-use and non-recyclable plastics and other materials, while also improving goods repairability and recyclability.
• Increasing the reduction, reuse, recovery and recycling of construction and demolition materials.
• Increasing accessibility, awareness, scale and inclusivity of reduction, re-utilization and recycling programs and policies for all communities and neighbourhoods.
• Investing in city-wide communication and engagement efforts, offering resources in multiple languages, and ensuring the benefits of these programs and activities are distributed equitably across the entire city population.
• Publicly reporting every two years on the progress C40 cities are making towards these goals.

For local readers of this blog, Toronto is a C40 city. Are we living up to the C40 circular economy pledge?

In its latest email, the publishers of Waste Management World note that with much of Europe gripped by an unprecedented heatwave, “there’s no better time to reflect on the consequences of global warming” and how the waste management industry can help to significantly reduce GHG emissions to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.

“Letting nothing go to waste,” and “no time to waste” should be humanity’s marching orders.

She went on to state that because cities produce nearly 75% of all the greenhouse gas emissions we humans are responsible for, it will be urban centres where decarbonization leadership will come. That’s not to say that states cannot play a part. For example, consider California’s most recent actions to reduce the state’s carbon footprint. But it is in cities where the world is seeing a commitment to fight climate change with serious intent based on the findings of the IPCC and the Paris global agreement. Three alliances of cities focused on decarbonization include the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA), C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and the Covenant of Mayors.

Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA)

Seventeen cities from Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia have formed CNCA to focus on emission reductions and a transition to a carbon neutral and sustainable future. They have set a decarbonization goal of 80 to 100% reductions by 2050 which they have named the “80×50.”

In a 134-page document they outline their framework for long-term deep carbon reduction planning that includes:

• Developing Carbon Neutrality Planning  Standards — Developing approaches, analysis, and tools to support carbon neutrality; standardizing measurement and verification methodologies for tracking progress.
• Advancing “Transformative Change” in Key Urban Sectors — Sharing and implementing best practices for achieving transformative deep carbon reduction strategies in urban transportation, energy use, and waste systems.
• Advocating for Policy Change — Identifying and advocating for policies at the state, regional, and federal levels to reduce emission sources not controlled directly by cities and engaging with other external stakeholders who are critical to cities’ success.
• Speaking with a Common Voice — Helping CNCA cities demonstrate their leadership and communicate with a common voice.
• Creating a CNCA “Innovation Fund” — Investing in high-potential, city-led projects that develop, test, implement, and amplify deep decarbonization strategies and practices. The latest awards round announced the funding of eight new projects this month to the tune of almost $880,000 U.S.
• Increasing Alliance Impact — Sharing Alliance learning with a broader audience to benefit the “next wave” of cities striving for carbon neutrality.

Each city in the alliance has set an individual target but all are committed to the “80×50.” The infographic below lists the cities and their individual greenhouse gas (GHG) emission timetables for target reductions.

A sample of how some of these cities are doing so far.

• Since 1990 Berlin has reduced GHG emissions by 29% while growing the GDP by 19% and population by 1%.
• Copenhagen since 2005 has reduced GHG emissions by 31%, grown the local economy by 18% and population by 15%.
• Portland since 1990 has decreased GHG emissions by 14%, increased population by 31% and jobs by 20%.
• Sydney from 2006 to 2012 decreased GHG emissions by 12% while population increased 4% and the local economy grew by 3%.
• And Washington, DC, has reduced GHG emissions since 2006 by 16%, per capita emissions by 24%, increased population by 11%, employment by 8% and GDP by 9%.

C40 Cities

Started in 2005, C40 includes 86 affiliated cities representing 25% of global GDP and 1 in 12 people worldwide. The focus of the group is addressing climate change.  The group has committed to reducing GHG emissions by 3 gigatons by 2030. The infographic describes the mission and action plan of C40.

The founding of C40 was based on the idea that cities can achieve more working together. Beginning with 18 cities it has now grown to 86 representing over 600 million people. The 3 gigatons CO2 emission reduction target by 2030 is equivalent to taking 600 million vehicles off urban roads. States Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and recent host to the COP21 2015 Climate Change summit, “As mayors, we all face similar challenges  and have to innovate to solve them,  often in the same ways. The C40 network  connects us all, enabling us to share ideas  and collaborate, working together towards  a greener, healthier future.”

C40 works with the Global Covenant of Mayors (CoM) for Climate and Energy, the third in this triad of urban organizations fighting climate change.

Covenant of Mayors (CoM)

Launched in 2008 by the European Commission with a focus on sustainable energy and climate policies, today the CoM although still European focused, has formed a super group embracing 7,100 urban centres in 119 countries and six continents, and representing more than 600 million people.

Prior to the Paris COP21 meeting the CoM announced a three pillar strategy that included:

• Mitigation – a 27% CO2 reduction target by 2020 based on baseline levels from 1990, and a 40% reduction by 2030
• Adaptation – committing to action to adapt to climate change
• Secure, sustainable and affordable energy – improving energy efficiency in existing infrastructure and expanding renewable energy sources

In its latest report from 315 members covering 25.5 million people overall GHG reductions have reached 23% putting those reporting well ahead of target to hit 27% or better in the next three years.

Breaking it down further the reductions so far are as follows:

• GHG emissions from electricity consumption decreased by 17 % from baseline through the use of less-carbon-intensive fuels and more efficient electricity generation.
• GHG emissions in buildings from heating and cooling fell by 36 % from baseline driven by improved energy efficiency, lower energy consumption levels, more efficient local heat production from district heating networks, and increasing renewable resources in decentralized local heating
• GHG emissions in transportation fell by 7 % from baseline driven by more efficient vehicles, an increased use of biofuels, a shift towards public transportation and increased electric mobility.

The CoM, unlike CNCA and C40 includes a significant number of small and medium-sized towns and cities. In fact 89% of members are from smaller centres who believe that their cumulative role in reducing GHG emissions can play as significant a part as their larger urban cousins in meeting the objectives laid out in the Paris Climate Agreement.

States Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament, “Cities and city-led initiatives like the Compact of Mayors and the Covenant of Mayors are key forces to make the Paris Agreement a success…..further proof that cities are heeding the call by the world’s urban leadership to innovate faster, reduce climate emissions and enhance resilience to meet the Paris climate goals. This initiative shows the force of a bottom-up approach, of local ownership and of voluntary – but real – commitments.”