Statistics Explained

Archive:Greenhouse gas emissions from waste disposal

Data from March 2014. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article takes a look at one example of a waste-related environmental impact, the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the European Union (EU) and some EFTA and candidate countries as a result of waste disposal operations such as landfilling, incineration without energy recovery and other treatment operations such as composting. It is widely recognised that managing waste has a range of potential environmental impacts and, as Eurostat collects and collates basic data on waste generation and treatment, the emission of greenhouse gases can be analysed in some detail.

The data were obtained from the European Environment Agency (EEA) or EEA reports prepared for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It should be noted that waste nomenclatures may differ: incineration in this context covers only incineration without energy recovery.


Main statistical findings

Figure 1: Estimated share of GHG emissions from three waste disposal operations (2011) - Source: EEA Greenhouse gas data viewer, March 2014
Table 1: Overview of emissions by major source category, 1990-2011, in million tonnes per year - Source: EEA
Figure 2: GHG emissions in EU-15 and EU-28 for landfill and the sum of incineration without energy recovery and other treatments from 1990 to 2011 (1 000 tonnes) - Source: EEA GHG data viewer
Figure 3: Per-capita GHG emissions in 1990 and 2011 for landfill, EU-15 Member States (kg CO2-eq / year per person) - Source: EEA GHG data viewer
Figure 4: Per-capita GHG emissions in 2011 for landfill, non-EU-15 countries (kg CO2-eq / year per person) - Source: EEA GHG data viewer
Figure 5: 2006, 2009, 2011 landfilling of biodegradable waste as a percentage of the 1995 biodegradable waste generation - Source: EEA
Figure 6: 2006, 2009, 2011 landfilling of biodegradable waste as a percentage of the 1995 biodegradable waste generation; countries with derogation status - Source: EEA

Six greenhouse gases are identified under the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and three fluorinated gases. More information is available from the European Commission's Directorate General for Climate Action and the EEA. Data for other countries can be found on the UNFCCC website.

Relevance of the waste sector

Table 1 gives an overview of changes in GHG emissions broken down by major sources. For the EU-15, the total reduction achieved in 2011 amounts to 624 million tonnes CO2-eq/year, or 14.7 % since 1990 (when GHG emissions were 4 244.8 million tonnes CO2-eq/year). While some sources e.g. the road transport sector, still show an increase in GHG emissions, others, such as industrial processes, household & services, and waste disposal, are showing a decrease.

The EEA forecasts that emissions from waste disposal will decrease further in the future, despite a steady increase in the overall quantity of waste being generated. This shift stems from the decrease in waste being landfilled in the EU. The waste sector was responsible for about 11 % of the cuts in GHG emissions in 2011, which amounts to 1.8 % of total emissions. The waste management sector therefore plays a key role due to the reduction in reliance on landfill for residual disposal - a change that has been significantly influenced by EU waste legislation (see Outlook below).

Waste disposal operations

Official reporting to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) involves a breakdown of emissions from solid waste disposal into three subcategories:

  • Sector 6A - landfill;
  • Sector 6C - incineration without energy recovery;
  • Sector 6D - other treatments such as fermentation/composting.

It should be noted that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from organic (biogenic) carbon are not entered in the 'accounts', but methane (CH4) emissions from biogenic carbon are.

Sector 6A - Landfill

The emissions from landfill sites are not measured but modelled, as detailed in the IPCC guidelines on waste. Methane is emitted from landfill sites as fugitive emissions. The models used take into account the local weather conditions (humidity and climate), which have a high impact on the overall process. A simple model may divide the landfill process into three steps:

  1. during the initial active phase, the degradable portion of the landfilled waste undergoes both aerobic and anaerobic degradation; as the landfill is not sealed during this phase both methane and biogenic carbon dioxide are emitted;
  2. once the landfill has been sealed, the 'methanogenic' phase takes place and the landfill gas contains greater quantities of methane than in the first phase;
  3. finally, as different types of carbon degrade at different rates (sugars and fat degrade relatively quickly, while cellulose degrades more slowly) and there is very little degradation of lignin products (contained in wood) in landfill, these materials may not degrade appreciably even over much longer time periods.

Stopping landfill today, therefore, will not put an end to methane emissions immediately and as such, but a slow decline in methane emissions from old landfill sites will become apparent. A key measure to mitigate methane emissions is the capture of the methane, especially during the second phase, and its subsequent combustion to produce energy. Methane is combusted to carbon dioxide, which is not entered in the inventory (organic carbon). In the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting system, the methane emitted to the atmosphere is entered in the 'accounts'. However, the benefits stemming from energy production from methane gas capture at landfills and the utilisation of this gas are accredited to the energy sector, rather than the waste sector.

Sector 6C - Waste incineration without energy recovery

During waste incineration, fossil carbon contents (from, oil products such as plastics, for example), are emitted and recorded. Biogenic carbon from paper waste (e.g. newspapers), wood and biowaste is also emitted but not entered in the 'accounts'. Other types of GHG emissions are negligible. Emissions from waste incineration with energy recovery are ascribed to 'energy' rather than 'waste'. Therefore, in the event of energy recovery, the extent of such emissions from incineration with energy recovery cannot be established. As a result, a full comparison between different waste treatment operations is not possible, because the benefits from improved waste treatment, such as incineration 'with' energy recovery (and the subsequent avoidance of equivalent energy production, e.g. from fossil fuels) are not fully demonstrated in the waste sector under UNFCCC reporting.

Sector 6D - Other waste disposal / treatment

Other treatment options, e.g. the composting or fermentation of biowaste and/or mixed waste, and the recycling or pre-treatment of waste for landfill, may give rise to fewer methane or nitrous oxide emissions.

Figure 1 is as a pie chart presenting the estimated proportions of greenhouse gas emissions from the three types of disposal/treatment operation in 2011.

This shows that 95 % of the GHG emissions from waste management come from the landfill sector, while the other two types of operation contribute only 5 %. However, it should be noted that the incineration section includes only facilities without energy recovery so overall only a fraction of incineration emissions are presented in the chart. It is therefore reasonable to focus on landfill.

 Time series of GHG emissions from the waste sector

Products from fossil oil, such as plastics, are assumed not to degrade in a landfill site due to the length of the degradation process, and this extends the observation time frame for global warming (usually 100 years). Organic carbon may decay in the presence of oxygen (aerobically) to carbon dioxide or decompose in the absence of oxygen (anaerobically) to carbon dioxide and methane. As methane has a greater impact than carbon dioxide, methane emissions are recorded as anthropogenic emissions.

Figure 2 shows the time series for greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2011. The two smaller subcategories (incineration without energy recovery and other treatments) are summarised. Data is shown for the EU-15 and theEU-28.

In the early 1990’s, greenhouse gas emissions from landfill were decreasing slowly. Between 1995 and 2005, there was a high rate of reduction, but since 2005 there has been slower progress in cutting emissions. Over the reporting period, total EU-15 emissions from incineration without energy recovery and other treatments have remained quite stable, at approximately 5 million tonnesCO2 equivalent a year. Emissions from incineration without energy recovery are declining, whereas those from other treatment activities are rising and have been at a level of 2.0 million tonnes a year since 2007.

Developments in GHG emissions per capita in the landfill sector for each EU-15 country are shown in Figure 3. Overall, these fell by 51 % from 1990 to 2011. Spain, Greece and Portugal show higher emissions in 2011 than in 1990. In 2011, emissions in Spain, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Portugal were significantly higher than the EU-15 average. per-capita emissions in Belgium and Luxembourg were just half the EU-15 average in 2011.

Figure 4 gives an overview over the GHG emissions from landfill in 2011 for the non EU-15 Member States and candidate countries.

GHG emissions from landfill in the new EU Member States are in general (with the exception of Romania) higher than, or (in the cases of Estonia, Poland, Croatia, and, Slovenia) in the range of, the EU-15 average. Only Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Malta and Hungary are significantly above the average. Overall, the EU-28 average differs only slightly from the EU-15 average. Iceland and Turkey show significantly higher emissions per capita.

 Outlook

With the introduction of Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC the European Union has established a powerful tool to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. It is this biodegradable fraction of the waste which is responsible for the methane emissions. The Directive requires the collection and incineration of landfill gas and additionally the monitoring of landfill gas emissions. Flaring is also an option for older landfills, as it neutralises the methane emissions (biogenic CO2 is not accounted for, however, methane is).

Article 5 of the Directive sets targets for reduction of the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill. On the basis of the amount of biodegradable municipal waste generated in 1995 the amount of biodegradable waste allowed to be send to landfill is limited to:

  • 75 % in 2006;
  • 50 % in 2009;
  • 35 % in 2016.

Member States which landfilled more than 80 % of their municipal waste in the year 1995 may postpone the attainment of these targets by no more than 4 years. Of the EU-15 countries, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Greece have received a derogation period. From the new Member States the derogation does not apply to Hungary.

Furthermore, Member States can follow different strategies to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill by:

  • recycling of biodegradable waste - paper/ cardboard, wood;
  • recycling of organic waste via composting;
  • recovery of biodegradable waste via fermentation, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis;
  • incineration.

From the existing Eurostat data it is not possible to track the reduction in biodegradable municipal waste, as only the total amount of municipal waste sent to landfill is monitored. The definition of biodegradable waste, the national strategies for reduction of landfill and a limited set of data are published in a report on the implementation of the Landfill Directive. A summary and update on biodegradable municipal waste is given by the EEA. The 2006 data is also discussed in the State of the environment report No 5/2010 on Material resources and waste and in the update to the European Environment State and Outlook 2010.

Figure 5 shows the percentage of landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste in 2006, 2009 and 2010 as well as the targets for 2006, 2009, and 2016. Figure 6 shows the same issue for countries with a derogation period (targets are postponed to 2010, 2013 and 2020).

Eleven of the EU-15 Member States report a share below the 2009 target of 50 %. Italy reports a slightly higher (57%), and Portugal (78%), Ireland (94%) and Greece (108%) a substantially higher share. All three countries have received a derogation of up to 4 years to achieve this target in 2013. From the 12 new Member States, Bulgaria, Hungary and Estonia have met the target in 2009. All new Member States have received a derogation status with a 2010 target of 75%. Nine countries with derogation status have not met the 2010 target: Portugal (80%), Lithuania (81%), Poland (84%), Latvia (86%), Malta (96%), Czech Republic (97%), Greece (108%), Croatia (129%), and Cyprus (134%). In 2010 already seven EU-15 countries (Germany, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands, Luxembourg) have fulfilled the 2016 target (35%). Finland and France report a slightly higher share with 37% and 38%.

Data sources and availability

The official greenhouse gas emission inventories for the EU and for the individual Member States are submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the following two parts:

  • Common reporting format (CRF) – a series of standardized data tables containing mainly numerical information and submitted electronically;
  • National inventory report (NIR) – a comprehensive description of the methodologies used in compiling the inventory, the data sources, the institutional structures and quality assurance and control procedures.

The report and data are available 15 months after the reporting year has ended. Data for other countries are also documented at the UNFCCC Secretariat.
The EU reports and condensed tables are also available at the EEA. The EEA prepares a combined database (as GHG data viewer).

More information is available from the European Commission's Directorate General for Climate Action and the EEA.

Context

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that includes legally binding GHG emissions targets for the industrialised countries. It aims to an overall reduction of at least 5 % from the 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012. The Protocol defined individual targets per country, however, the 15 States who were EU members (EU-15) when the Kyoto Protocol was adopted (1997), agreed to an 8 % reduction of its GHG emissions by 2008-2012 compared to 1990 and re-distributed this target under the burden-sharing agreement (Council Decision 2002/358/EC). Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia took on that 8% target as well. Poland and Hungary will have to reduce emissions by 6%. There is no legal EU target for Cyprus and Malta.

The waste sector defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is different to, and also narrower than the way waste management is defined according to EU waste legislation and the EU waste statistics Regulation. This report follows the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reporting system and classification.

Please note that the waste term “incineration” only refers to the term “incineration without energy recovery” in GHG accounting. Waste incineration with energy recovery is an energy process in GHG accounting and could not be isolated from other energy processes. Therefore the greenhouse gas emissions for “incineration” derived from the GHG reporting represents only a fraction of the processes “incineration with or without energy recovery” normally covered under waste legislation. The term “other” processes refers to pre-treatment processes like fermentation or composting.

If the entire spectrum of impacts, which are consequences of waste management operations, are to be investigated, a different approach is needed. This approach should take into account all emissions that are caused or avoided by waste treatment. Namely, the direct emissions from all waste treatment types should be accounted for independent of whether the treatment is recycling, incineration or landfilling. Moreover, the recovery of energy (incineration, landfill gas, anaerobic digestion plants) and materials (recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion) has as a consequence the avoidance of primary production of energy (e.g. from fossil fuels) and virgin materials (e.g. virgin paper, metals etc.) respectively. The avoided emissions should be accounted for in order to demonstrate the full effect of waste management within emissions inventory reporting. An example of this approach, which is based on life cycle thinking, applied on municipal solid waste in the EU can be seen in an EEA publication.

See also

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables


Database

Methodology / Metadata

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

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