Reading time 10 min. #energy #city #community #industrial #building manager
Eric Trodoux
Senior Vice President Solid Waste Recycling & Recovery, inside the Business Support & Performance department, Veolia
In the face of climate urgency, energy supply tensions, and rising energy costs, I have often noticed that local authorities and industries are turning en masse to solar and wind power. However, there is also a local, stable, long-term controlled energy source that is often underused: our own waste. Energy recovery from waste, far from being mere residue management, has now become a strategic lever for local energy sovereignty. Various energy recovery methods transform what was once just a cost into a genuine energy resource available around the clock, non-intermittent, and with predictable volumes.
For you, elected officials, industrial site managers, or building operators, the question is no longer just about reducing your dependence on fossil fuels or cutting CO2 emissions. It is about seizing the opportunity of low-carbon, locally produced energy, where every waste item becomes a resource. From biogas produced from organic waste to solid recovered fuel (SRF) and biomass, today’s energy recovery solutions provide concrete answers to the decarbonization and resilience challenges faced by regions and industries.
In this article, I invite you to discover how energy recovery from waste can become an unexpected asset in your low-carbon transition.
Key points to remember
- Energy recovery from waste offers a local, stable, and predictable energy source that complements intermittent renewables.
- Multiple solutions exist, depending on available resources, biomass, sewage sludge, non-recyclable waste, and the needs of communities, industries, and building managers: biogas production, biomethane, incineration with cogeneration, and solid recovered fuel (SRF).
- The benefits are numerous: a 50-70% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to fossil fuels, lower waste management costs, revenue generation, support for local industry, and reduced price volatility for end users.
- The regulatory framework and financing mechanisms actively support these projects as part of the European and national energy transition.
- Case studies in France and abroad demonstrate the effectiveness and economic viability of these solutions for securing energy supply and accelerating decarbonization.
Read on to discover how to turn your waste into a strategic resource and start a sustainable, competitive energy transition.
Waste: an underused strategic energy resource
Energy sovereignty is now a central issue for regions and industries. I regularly meet with local and industrial leaders who invest millions in renewable energy while still paying to dispose of their waste. This contradiction highlights a lack of awareness of a fundamental principle: nearly every ton of waste holds measurable and usable energy potential.
Given the volatility of energy markets and the need to reduce carbon footprints, relying on local, controlled, and predictable resources has never been more crucial. This is where waste-to-energy becomes truly valuable: waste is no longer just an expense or a regulatory burden, but a strategic asset.
Waste-to-energy encompasses all processes used to recover and utilize the energy contained in waste, whether household, agricultural, or industrial, transforming it into electricity, heat, or fuel. Technologies vary depending on the type of waste: incineration with energy recovery for non-recyclable waste, anaerobic digestion for organic waste, or SRF production for combustible fractions.
The numbers speak for themselves:
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In 2022, Veolia produced 44 million MWh of energy from waste, helping clients avoid 14 million tons of CO2 emissions.
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An energy recovery unit processing 100,000 tons of waste per year can generate enough electricity for 15,000 households and heat for 20,000 homes.
- For a food processing company, digesting its organic effluent can cover up to 80% of its energy needs.
Innovative and proven solutions for energy recovery
To meet the diversity of flows and needs, several waste-to-energy solutions are now available.
Biomass and organic waste recovery is often the most accessible starting point, turning organic waste into renewable energy, in the form of heat or electricity.
Another predictable energy source is biogas. This combustible gas, composed mainly of methane (50-60%) and carbon dioxide, is produced either by:
fermenting organic matter from waste or sewage sludge, known as anaerobic digestion;
the decomposition of waste in non-hazardous landfill sites.
Captured biogas is then converted into electricity or heat for urban heating networks. It can also be purified into biomethane, which can be used as a biofuel or injected into the public gas grid.
Waste incineration produces energy, which is then recovered:
- Heat is captured via water tubes lining the boiler walls;
- The heated water is converted into high-pressure steam;
- This steam drives a turbine connected to a generator, producing electricity.
Cogeneration allows for both electricity production and the use of residual heat from incineration, at a lower pressure, to supply industrial and urban heating networks.
Finally, solid recovered fuel (SRF) is a major innovation for non-recyclable waste. We transform plastics, textiles, and wood into high-calorific-value fuel, a direct substitute for coal or gas in cement plants and industrial boilers. This solution diverts waste from landfills while decarbonizing industrial processes. SRF achieves very high recovery rates, as it is only used when there is actual energy demand, unlike incinerators that must burn whatever volumes are delivered regardless of current energy needs.
Each solution is tailored to the local context. These systems rely on proven technologies and innovations such as carbon capture and utilization (CCUS), enabling even deeper decarbonization.
At Le Mans in France, for example, Veolia recently launched an unprecedented carbon capture and utilization program at the city’s energy recovery unit: the CO2 will be used as a new resource for local agriculture or industry, or converted into sustainable fuel. The aim: capture up to 10 tons of CO2 per day, with a 90% capture rate.
By focusing on energy recovery, local authorities and companies take an ecologically and economically high-performing approach, while meeting regulatory and societal expectations.
Economic viability and regulatory framework
A favorable context for waste-to-energy
Financing is always a recurring topic in my discussions with decision-makers. The good news: the business model for waste-to-energy is now mature and attractive. Local energy production reduces supply costs and protects budgets from price volatility.
For a local government, investing in an energy recovery center generates several revenue streams: selling electricity, selling heat through a district network, and drastically reducing landfill costs (now €65/ton with the landfill tax). Return on investment is typically 10–15 years, with operating lifespans of 25–30 years.
For industry, anaerobic digestion or SRF production lowers waste treatment costs and reduces energy bills. I have supported industrial sites that cut their energy bills by 30-40% by recovering their organic residues.
European and French regulations actively support these projects and set ambitious targets: 50% landfill reduction by 2025, limiting landfill to 10% of waste by 2035, and carbon neutrality by 2050. These requirements encourage energy recovery, which addresses environmental, economic, and energy sovereignty challenges.
In France, the AGEC law mandates source separation of organic waste as of 2024, creating a massive resource for anaerobic digestion. Support mechanisms include guaranteed purchase tariffs for biogas, energy savings certificates, and ADEME grants for feasibility studies and investments.
The European Taxonomy now classifies certain waste-to-energy technologies as sustainable activities, making it easier to access green financing. This institutional recognition is a game-changer for project developers.
Main references in France and abroad
The feedback from experience demonstrates the effectiveness and relevance of energy recovery from waste.
Industrial ecology in the east of France
In the Grand Est region, the Dombasle Énergie project, in partnership with Solvay, is a perfect example of waste-to-energy: replacing coal boilers with a plant using two furnaces powered by solid recovered fuel (SRF) to generate energy for Solvay’s Dombasle-sur-Meurthe plant. This facility will have a capacity of 181 MW thermal and 17.5 MW electrical, circular energy used in the industrial process. The result: a 50% reduction in the site’s CO2 emissions by replacing 200,000 tons of imported coal with non-hazardous waste-derived fuel, avoiding 240,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Recovering value from waste in Hong-Kong
Hong Kong produces nearly 3 million cubic meters/day of effluent, creating 1,200 tons of sewage sludge. By 2030, this will reach 2,000 tons/day. To address this, T • PARK, the world’s largest sewage sludge treatment plant, was built.
- Fluidized bed incineration technology reduces waste output by 90%, with only 10% sent to landfill.
- T • PARK diverts 90% of Hong Kong’s sludge from landfill. The plant runs on thermal energy produced during sludge incineration, which is recovered and converted into electricity.
- T • PARK is 100% energy self-sufficient, with two 14 MW turbines powered by steam. At full capacity, the plant produces nearly 2 MW of excess electricity, which is returned to the public grid.
Turning non-recyclable waste into renewable energy in France
The Val’Pôle facility in Claye-Souilly (near Paris) is one of France’s largest production units for biomethane made from waste. This biomethane is created by breaking down the organic matter in non-recyclable waste stored on site. Once purified, the resulting biogas is transformed into biomethane and injected into the gas grid operated by GRDF -Gaz Réseau Distribution France - (the French gas distribution network operator), supplying homes and businesses throughout the region.
Transforming food industry waste in Australia
Located on a repurposed former mining site about 50 kilometers from Canberra, our Australian site, the Woodlawn Eco Precinct, spans 6,000 hectares and serves as a real model of local circular economy, combining waste management, renewable energy production, and sustainable agriculture. The precinct features several waste recovery and renewable energy facilities, including a bioreactor that produces biogas, later converted into green electricity and heat, as well as a wind farm generating 48.3 megawatts and a solar farm producing 2.5 megawatts of clean energy per year. The complex also includes sustainable farming, aquaculture supplying 3,600 kg of fish annually to Canberra restaurants, and a mechanical-biological treatment unit producing compost.
Eventually, this waste-to-energy facility will be able to prevent hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from ending up in landfill.
Biogas-powered power plants in Brazil
In Brazil, in the states of Sao Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Alagoas, power plants are fueled by biogas generated from the decomposition of organic waste at seven of our waste recovery centers. These plants supply electricity and heating needs for a city of about 56,000 inhabitants.
These examples demonstrate that energy recovery is not a utopian concept, but an operational reality, one that can be replicated and creates value for communities and industries.
Seizing the opportunity of energy recovery to accelerate the low-carbon transition
Waste-to-energy recovery is no longer a marginal option, but a cornerstone of local and industrial energy transition. By turning your waste into local energy, you simultaneously reduce your carbon footprint, cut operational costs, and lower your dependence on imported fossil fuels. By choosing an ambitious, competitive, and resilient low-carbon transition, you make a concrete contribution to decarbonization objectives while also creating economic value.
The technologies are mature, the available solutions are innovative and proven, the regulatory framework is supportive, and the business models are tried and tested. The question is no longer ‘why’ but ‘how’ and ‘when’. Energy recovery enables you to strengthen your energy independence, reduce your CO2 emissions, and secure your energy supply.
I am convinced that communities and industries that rapidly adopt energy recovery as part of their strategy will gain a decisive competitive edge: local, stable, low-carbon, and economically attractive energy. Real-world examples in France and internationally prove that this approach is both realistic and value-creating.
Don’t wait any longer to begin your transformation and turn your waste into an unexpected asset in your energy strategy.
Eric Trodoux
Senior Vice President Solid Waste Recycling & Recovery, inside the Business Support & Performance department, Veolia
Eric Trodoux is Senior Vice President Solid Waste Recycling & Recovery inside the Business Support & Performance department at Veolia. Eric has over 30 years of experience in international management positions in the fields of waste, recycling, energy and circular economy around the world.
This article contains text partially generated with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence, based on the Group’s knowledge base. The content has been reviewed and validated by the expert.