WS2007 set out its vision for sustainable waste management. This included two key objectives to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting greater amounts of biodegradable waste away from landfill and by increasing the recovery of energy from waste. It identified combustion as the generally preferred option for waste wood over recycling and anaerobic digestion as the preferred option for food waste. Where energy recovery is appropriate, WS2007 sets out an expectation that the energy generated is utilised in the most climate change friendly way through the use of CHP schemes.
The best CHP systems can increase the overall efficiency of an EfW plant from 20-25% to up to 60-70%. Therefore, the addition of CHP significantly increases the displacement of other fuels compared to electricity-only EfW.