Vattenfall operates a larger facility for waste incineration in Uppsala. The energy produced is used for district heating. However, a significant portion of what is burned contains plastic, approximately 23 percent on average, resulting in high emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
The proportion is intended to decrease as waste suppliers will be charged more if their waste contains a high amount of plastic.
It's about us charging for the emissions, to steer towards getting rid of the plastic. And then we'll also reduce the emissions, says Anders Pettersson.
Worth investing
Today, Vattenfall has to handle the plastic itself. And if it is burned to a large extent, it is reflected in the carbon dioxide emissions that the company has to pay for in the form of emission allowances.
If it becomes so expensive to pass on unsorted waste further down the chain, the idea is that it will be worth it for waste handlers to invest in better sorting earlier on, according to Anders Pettersson.
Vattenfall's energy recovery facility in Uppsala, which produces district heating from waste, receives around 350,000 tons of waste per year. This corresponds to approximately 170,000 tons of fossil emissions, according to Pettersson.
Cheaper heat?
We want to reduce emissions. We have to do that. Partly in the costs we obviously have for emission allowances, but also because our customers get it in their end product.
Energy company Stockholm Exergi is also introducing a similar model from the turn of the year, where a higher carbon dioxide fee is charged from those who deposit waste with a high plastic content.
As to whether this will lead to lower district heating prices for households, Vattenfall responds: "If production costs can be reduced thanks to differentiated waste prices, this will in the long run also contribute to long-term competitiveness for district heating".
