One of the greatest environmental challenges of our time is how to minimise waste. Whilst global efforts continue, we're supporting projects that turn post-consumer and post-industrial waste into clean energy.
In 2020, the UK alone produced over 27 million tonnes of waste, of which only 44% was recycled. That's over 15 million tonnes of waste heading to landfill every year.
Whether a farmer, manufacturer or consumer, creating waste can be hard to avoid. To help tackle this, projects around the globe are finding ways to generate energy from waste and help prevent landfill greenhouse gasses entering the atmosphere.
China
This project collects landfill gas (methane) and uses it for electricity generation. The power generated by the plant is then delivered to Northeast China Power Grid.
The goal is to reduce the methane emissions from landfill sites entering our atmosphere whilst decarbonising the Chinese Power Grid. When it comes to global warming, methane emissions are roughly 30 times stronger than carbon dioxide emissions and, according to the EPA, landfills are currently the third-largest contributor in China. By capturing methane and turning it into cleaner energy, this project is expected to reduce annual emissions by 80,000 tonnes.
India
This project uses waste rice husk as a fuel stock for electricity generation of a food production factory in Punjab, India.
In addition to creating renewable heat, this work is a unique way to dispose of crop residue without creating additional environmental issues for local communities. Crop residue is often burned by smallholder farmers in India who don't have the machinery to dispose of it properly, emitting carbon into the atmosphere and creating local air quality issues. Instead, this project uses the rice husks to generate electricity in food production.
Notes
We're proud to support these projects through carbon offsetting. Both take the global issue of waste and work to pull out a positive outcome. Investing in infrastructure through these projects helps to decarbonise the global economy as well as develop new green tech. In this case, energy generation. They play a crucial role in the fight against climate change.
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