Residual Waste EfW

Residual Waste Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities treat primarily household and commercial wastes that are not recycled or that have been pre-treated to produce a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).

The large majority of these facilities recover some form of energy rather than just destroying the waste and convert that to electricity via steam or supply that steam to adjacent industrial users. An increasing number of facilities are implementing the use of heat in local networks and considering the capture of carbon from their emissions to reduce their environmental impact. This type of infrastructure provides the overview of Residual Waste EfW facilities for the UK, linking to individual pages for each facility that provides greater detail.

Overview

Residual EfW facilities sit towards the lower end of the waste hierarchy, treating waste that remains after reuse, recycling and composting. They play a significant role in diverting residual waste away from landfill, while also generating electricity and, where heat networks exist, usable heat.

In WikiWaste, Residual EfW is treated as a distinct infrastructure type within the wider Incineration & EfW category. This page provides a structured view across the national fleet and connects through to individual facility pages and Local Authority disposal routes

Parameters	Stats.	Units/Year
Number of Operational Facilities	60	number (2024)
Operational Plated Capacity	19,475	'000 tonnes (2024)
Plants in Construction	15	'000 tonnes (2024)
Plated Capacity in Construction	6,360	'000 tonnes (2024)
Plants in Planning/Consultation	100	number (2024)

Growth in Residual EfW Capacity

Notes/Assumptions

Forecast plated capacity is based upon those plants in construction coming into operation and does not assume any plants in development are added
Forecast combusted tonnage is based upon applied historical levels to sites in construction and assumed successful phased commissioning - which may or may not be delivered
No plants are assumed to close in the period, other than the old Edmonton facility when it is replaced by the new facility