Transforming waste into power – see it for yourself!
Would your CAG group be interested in a tour of the Exeter Energy From Waste (EFW) facility? Devon County Council can offer informative tours for groups of 6 to 20 people, providing a fascinating insight into waste management in Devon. These tours are very popular and fill up quickly, so get in touch now to book your spot for later in the year. Please email Lucy Mottram at lucy.mottram@devon.gov.uk.
In this blog CAG Devon Project Officer Molly reflects on her recent visit.
On Tuesday, I spent a fascinating few hours visiting the Exeter Energy Recovery, Energy from Waste (EFW) Facility , which has been operating since 2014. The facility is one of two in Devon that burns residual waste at high temperatures to create electricity. I was fortunate to join a passionate group from the Exmouth U3A, led by Sue Mosley, EcoChurch Coordinator for Exmouth Coastal Churches, who spoke at our 2024 SkillShare.
Our visit started with a talk by Bobby Hughes and Lucy Mottram from the Waste Management Team at Devon County Council (DCC), followed by a tour of the facility. We had the chance to see the large grab crane in action in the control room and then donned hard hats and goggles to explore the plant from a viewing platform, witnessing each component at work.
In a nutshell, the EfW facility processes household waste by emptying it into a large bunker, where a crane lifts it into a hopper. The waste is then combusted, with gases produced passing through a post-combustion chamber at 850°C. The heat from the gases is used to pre-heat water before it enters the boiler, where it’s converted into high-pressure steam. This steam powers a turbine, generating 4.2-4.7 MW of electricity, enough for approx. 6,624 homes per year.
To minimise emissions, the facility uses hydrolysed lime to neutralise acidic gases and activated carbon in a reactor to remove heavy metals and pollutants. The gases are then filtered through a bag house, which removes airborne ash, carbon, and lime before they are released through the stack. The facility complies with strict emissions standards set by the Industrial Emissions Directive. Additionally, by-products like bottom ash are repurposed as construction aggregates, and ferrous metals are collected for recycling.
After witnessing the constant flow of residual waste at the facility, I was relieved to learn from research led by DCC that Devon has the second-highest recycling rate in the country at 54.5%. This means more than half of the 360,000 tonnes of waste produced by eight DCC districts last year was recycled. However, it was shocking to discover some troubling statistics about our residual waste. A recent study found that 41% of residual waste is recyclable, with food waste making up 28% of the total contents of our black bins! Even more alarming, 43.8% of this food waste is still in its original packaging. These findings highlight the need for significant changes in behaviour to meet Devon’s 2030 recycling target of 65%.
Despite these challenges, it was inspiring to hear about the many ways DCC is driving waste reduction, both at a statutory level, and through community initiatives and education. At CAG Devon, we are proud to be part of this work. While it’s encouraging to see how the EfW facility is turning waste into electricity and preventing it from ending up in landfills, the real takeaway from the visit and the team’s powerful talks was the undeniable importance of embracing the waste hierarchy in the pursuit for sustainable waste management. Prevention truly is better than cure, and by championing the values of reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle, we can make the dream of a circular economy a reality for future generations. Together, we have the power to drive lasting change.
Molly Turner – CAG Devon Project Officer
