Fuel from waste set to grow

There’s growing confidence in the fuel from waste market according to a new survey. The study by international law firm Norton Rose found 58% of senior execs in the UK […]

There’s growing confidence in the fuel from waste market according to a new survey. The study by international law firm Norton Rose found 58% of senior execs in the UK waste industry believe their sector will grow next year.

The market for both solid recovered fuel (SRF) and refuse derived fuel (RDF) is growing but there is still debate over which technology will be used to get these fuels to market.

The waste to energy sector has been growing steadily over the years and the survey of 60 executives found 78% believe the UK market is better than abroad but almost a third (28%) felt renewable targets would hold back merchant schemes.

Mark Berry of Norton Rose said: “The waste industry in the UK is under increasing pressure to divert combustible waste from landfills so turning waste into fuel or energy is likely to play a big part in the future of the industry. What this survey shows is whilst there remain a significant number of sceptics, confidence is growing.”

At present there are two main technologies to turn waste into fuel and the survey revealed there was still a degree of uncertainty over which would win in the long term. Also it’s clear many thought there were not enough routes to funding and difficulties obtaining planning permission.

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