Developing waste-to-energy is essential in order to help your community, municipality or region reach a higher level in the waste hierarchy. It is also necessary in order to implement EU waste legislation properly. Waste-to-energy eliminates toxic leakage from landfills into ground water, minimises green house gas emissions, replaces large amounts of fossil fuels and frees valuable space that would otherwise be used as landfills.

Waste is the fuel used to produce heat and power, it is also the residual left over after re-use and recycling in the waste hierarchy. The environmental impact of waste hauling is a fraction of the environmental impact of landfill which means that waste can be regarded as a regional, in fact locally produced fuel that substitutes fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal.

The waste hierarchy describes the most preferential treatment method for each type of waste where the aim is to extract the maximum practical benefits from refuse in order to achieve a minimum amount of waste descending to the level below.

The European Union landfill directive (1999/31/EC) applies to all member states. The directive effectively forbids combustible and biodegradable waste from being put on landfill. Each member state has its own set of milestones with corresponding national strategies that set the pace for its transition. Unless member states start to comply with the targets set up by the Commission they are likely to be faced with severe penalties. By stimulating alternative treatment methods with for example bans and taxes on landfilling, member states will stand a better chance of success.