Rae Chwee
ISWA Membership Engagement Manager
The ISWA Working Group on Energy Recovery met for the fourth and final time (for 2024) in Stockholm Sweden. The meeting was hosted by our National Member in Sweden, Avfall Sverige in their beautiful Stockholm office.
It was a fruitful meeting attended by over 20 members in person and 12 virtually. During the meeting, the group discussed key topics in the waste-to-energy sector, including being more involved in the future UNFCCC COP events together with ISWA.
The working group also had guest presenters from Ren-Gas, that spoke on taking the WtE into the hydrogen age.
Towards the end of the meeting, the WG also discussed on the future of waste to energy along with some technical advances in the sector. Where members of the group shared on the following topics:
- An Alternative NOx removal technology (by ISVAG)
- PFAS – and its relevance (by Avfaal Sverige)
- Bottom ask and fly ask technological advances (by CEWEP)
The meeting closed with plans for the future meetings in 2025 as well as future projects that the working group intends to focus on moving forward.
The next day, I attended the 12th ISWA Beacon Conference which was attended by over 140 participants from around the region. I had the opportunity to join and listen to key players in the waste-to-energy industry which really was eye–opening as they shared a lot of new technological developments not only in Europe but also around the world.
Johnny Stuen, WGER Chair welcomed the participants and shared some highlights of the industry as well as how the future looks for Waste to Energy.
Björn Appelqvist, the ISWA Chair of the Scientific and Technical Committee also took the stage to share ISWA’s Principles and Guidelines for Lasting Change, which is a new publication, aimed at raising awareness of the core challenges in sustainably managing waste and supporting the implementation of effective solutions.
He also addresses ISWA’s position on waste incineration with energy recovery with the participants. Citing that “Adhering to the principles of the waste hierarchy and the urgent need for a transition to a circular economy, ISWA recognises waste incineration with energy recovery as an important part of the basket of transitional solutions for managing residual and other non-recyclable waste” He also stressed that “Waste incineration, as opposed to open burning, operates within strict regulatory frameworks that minimise emissions and ensure public health and safety.”
One of our long standing WGER members, Bettina Kamuk (Ramboll), shared some highlights on how WtE is transforming the waste management sector globally, with progress varying by regions. One example was how Australia has shifted from landfills to WtE, while Singapore leads with an integrated solution. Whereas in the US, WtE competes with landfills but is gaining traction in some states, where they are exploring a more integrated solution.
Picture credits: Claes Johannesson
The first day concluded with a nice gala dinner where participants were greeted with a welcoming speech by Hakan, a former ISWA Board and WGER Member. He was also one of the founding members who started the ISWA Beacon conference in Sweden. There were also some fun performances during the dinner, and I had an enjoyable night with the members that night.
The following day was another day packed with presentations and case studies shared by other experts. One, I managed to catch was by another ISWA member and active WG member, Edmund Fleck, who shared a historical overview of Waste-to-Energy and its challenges through the times.
Picture credits: Claes Johannesson
I did not manage to stay throughout as I had to catch my plane back to the Netherlands, but I do have to say that hosting such a beacon with so many experts is an amazing experience. It also allows me as the membership manager of ISWA to connect with our members as this is such a great networking platform.
The conference did not end on the second day, as some participants extended their stay to join the site visits on the third day. From what I heard from some members, is that it was an insightful visit.
Until the next ISWA event 
Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings!
