“The Beauty in the Beast”: showcasing Waste-to-Energy’s hidden beauties!

ESWET invites you on a journey through five different stories to discover Waste-to-Energy’s contribution to a sustainable future!

Waste-to-Energy manages non-recyclable waste – waste which is unfit for recycling and reuse – and transforms it into a resource, recovering energy and materials and avoiding landfills.

The Beauty in the Beast campaign aims to spotlight the unexpected solutions offered by Waste-to-Energy to support the EU Green Deal’s ambitions to reach climate neutrality, reduce pollution, and move towards a more circular economy.

With the ambition to foster a public debate on the sustainable options for waste management in Europe, ESWET will publish a new story monthly for five months on the campaign’s website (http://thebeautyinthebeast.eu/) to explore Waste-to-Energy technologies’ hidden features.

From the recovery of secondary raw materials, including precious such as gold and silver, to skiing on a Waste-to-Energy plant. From public buses fuelled by hydrogen generated from non-recyclable waste to the necessary development of CCUS technologies to make Waste-to-Energy carbon-negative.

Waste prevention, reuse, and recycling are top priorities for any sustainable waste management system. However, not every waste is recyclable. And in 2019, the amount of municipal non-recyclable waste generated accounted for 114 million tonnes, while the total waste generation increased for the second year in a row.

While waste ending up in landfills is a lost and harming product for future generations, Waste-to-Energy is a viable technology that can support a circular economy by taking care of its non-recyclable waste and complement recycling’s efforts.

The first story of the campaign: “Turning trash into gold“, is out now. The second story: “A Plan(T) for the future“, will be published on 18 March 2021.