New report produced by WRAP for enfinium finds UK amongst global leaders on circular economy

  • United Kingdom has foundations for best-in-class waste management policy based on international best practices
  • Unrecyclable waste must be addressed alongside prevention, reuse and recycling to recover value, reduce environmental harm and deliver the circular economy
  • Circular economy models enable value recovery from residual waste via reuse and generating heat and power from thermal treatment

WRAP, a global environmental action NGO focusing on delivering the circular economy, has today published the findings of a report into Energy from Waste (EfW) in the UK for enfinium, a leading UK EfW operator. The new report examines how the management of unrecyclable waste can support the delivery of a circular economy in the United Kingdom. Drawing on international best practice examples, the report assesses how unrecyclable waste should be managed to minimise environmental harm from climate-damaging landfill practices, alongside prevention and value recovery systems under the existing waste management hierarchy.

The report highlights:

  • Across OECD countries, waste generation has increased by more than 100mn tonnes since 2000
  • The “take-make-dispose” model of production and consumption is driving continued rise in global waste generation and mounting environmental pressures
  • Global waste volumes are projected to rise by over 80% between 2020 and 2050
  • The UK Government forecasts over 17mn tonnes of unrecyclable waste by 2042, even under best case recycling scenarios
  • Waste management activities are estimated to contribute up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions
  • The UK has high class waste management system and significant opportunity to progress the circular economy by ensuring further diversion of waste from landfill
  • EfW systems present the best option for delivering the circular economy via ensuring maximum value retention from unrecyclable waste

The circular economy seeks to address waste generation challenges by designing waste out of the system, keeping products and materials in use for longer, and retaining their value within the economy. However, even the most effective circular systems will generate some residual material that cannot be reused or recycled, due to technical and economic limits.

The report finds well-managed EfW facilities recover value from unrecyclable waste by generating electricity and heat, displacing fossil fuel use and avoiding the climate-damaging impacts of landfill, including methane emissions. EfW systems also support material recovery and reuse, including incinerator bottom ash (IBA), a by-product from the energy recovery process, which can be used in construction and industrial applications. When governed appropriately, unrecyclable waste management complements, rather than competes with, upstream circular activities such as reuse, repair and recycling.

enfinium operates five EfW plants across the UK, and in 2025 processed 2.7mn tonnes of unrecyclable waste into energy, with a total combined electric generating capacity of 265MW— enough homegrown energy to power more than 600,000 homes and businesses.

Wayne Robertson, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at enfinium said: “Unrecyclable waste is unavoidable, even in the most advanced circular economies. Energy from waste plays a critical role in helping the UK to manage this unrecyclable waste in a responsible way, diverting it from climate damaging landfill, whilst contributing to the UK’s energy security with homegrown electricity and heat. This analysis highlights how EfWs, used appropriately within the waste hierarchy, can play a system-balancing role by recovering value from material that would otherwise be lost to landfill.”

Claire Shrewsbury, Director of Insights and Innovation at WRAP said “Designing waste out of the system must remain the priority, but no circular system will ever be 100% waste-free. This report shows how residual waste can be managed in a way that supports higher-value circular activities, to reduce environmental harm and help extract value from materials that cannot be recycled.”

The report comes ahead of the UK Government’s Circular Growth Plan for England, which is expected to outline practical recommendations to move from the ‘take-make-waste’ model to a more circular, resource-efficient economy. The plan is expected to be published by Defra in early 2026. Download the full report here: https://www.wrap.ngo/resources/report/circular-economies-residual-waste-policy-international-learnings.

Associated Businesses