On 6 March, industry experts shared insights on how to best regulate landfills while ensuring a fair framework for waste treatment during a panel discussion at the Energy from Waste conference in London. Hosted by ESWET, the event explored key differences between landfilling and Waste-to-Energy (WtE), with an eye on future revisions of the Emission Trading System (ETS).

Here are the main takeaways, in the experts’ own words:

🔹 Siegfried Scholz, ESWET President:
“The goal of Waste-to-Energy is to treat the waste. This is the service that WtE offers to society: treating non-recyclable waste.” Yet, landfill methane emissions remain heavily under-reported. While we can measure them, uncertainties persist. “Should we ban landfilling somehow? All successful countries that hugely decreased GHG emissions in the waste sector had a measure on landfills.”

🔹 Anja Schwetje, UBA, German Environment Agency:
Germany offers a case study in landfill regulation. “Back in 1993, Germany made a decision to control the content of landfill bodies. Then in 2005, a ban was implemented.” The result? A 94% reduction in methane emissions.

“Landfills are long-time bioreactors and that is how we should approach them.” Germany treats all waste before landfilling, with WtE playing a role in handling contaminated and non-recyclable materials. However, the current ETS debate could distort the waste management system. Instead, “we need waste acceptance criteria for landfills and other waste management options.” And what about the waste hierarchy? “For UBA, there is a place for waste incineration in the waste hierarchy, and that is before landfills.”

🔹 Fynn Hauschke, European Environmental Bureau (EEB):
“We need to look at what we can all agree on:”

•  Residual waste needs to be reduced
•  CO2 emissions must be cut
•  Methane emissions must be reduced
•  The ETS can be an effective tool for decarbonisation

However, landfill regulation remains a weak point. “There are waste acceptance criteria in the EU, but they are not strong. The overall regulatory framework in Europe covers all aspects—Landfill Directive, Waste Shipment Regulation, landfill targets, and the upcoming landfill BREF. By ensuring strong regulation of all aspects of landfills, we can ensure a level playing field between WtE and landfills.”

🔹 Jacob Hayler, Environmental Services Association (ESA):
In Great Britain, the role of WtE in moving away from landfills and cutting methane is well recognised. Mr. Hayler also emphasised the potential benefits of the ETS: “It can incentivise plastics removal from WtE, but carbon leakages need to be prevented.”

The panelists sent a clear message: landfill regulation is crucial. Without strict controls on methane emissions and waste acceptance criteria, the ETS risks distorting waste management priorities rather than supporting decarbonisation.