Due to the biogenic portion of municipal solid waste (MSW), Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants offer one of the highest carbon removal potentials in the field of Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). The result of a collaboration between the European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology (ESWET) and the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI), this presentation highlights the unparalleled environmental and climate potential of WtE plants equipped with carbon capture technology. WtE with carbon capture can generate negative emissions, in addition to the significant reductions achieved through landfill diversion. As per the IPCC, full-scale integration of carbon capture with WtE plants could capture up to 70 million tonnes of CO₂ in Europe alone.

This presentation identifies the challenges and obstacles facing the scaling up of carbon capture in the WtE sector. Insufficient storage and transport infrastructure are significant obstacles; ensuring a legislative framework that facilitates their development is essential for carbon capture in WtE to thrive. The economics of carbon capture in WtE is examined, with a focus on emissions trading schemes (ETS) and the need for carbon removal credits that incentivise emitters to capture CO₂ emissions.