Emissions

Viridor has introduced improvements to facilitate the accurate collection and reporting of its carbon emissions, which will in turn enable effective target setting and active management in this crucial area. This will also enable its obligations under the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) to be met. The CRC has been implemented by the UK Government as a new climate change and energy saving scheme to promote energy efficiency and help reduce carbon emissions. Viridor has also fully engaged with its trade body, the ESA, to produce its carbon reporting protocol for the waste sector. Under this protocol, carbon reporting will include the following internationally recognised categories:

Direct emissions resulting from an operator's activities (including both the processing and transport of waste)
Indirect energy use emissions arising from an operator's purchase of electricity
Avoided emissions resulting from a company's activities, including savings made by other sectors.

Carbon Emissions
Fugitive emissions from landfill sites (CO₂e tonnes)	317,453
Emissions from flare stacks (CO₂e tonnes)	183,173
Emissions from landfill gas engines (CO₂e tonnes)	553,566
Total Landfill emissions as CO₂ equivalents	1,054,192
Emissions from thermal treatment as CO₂ equivalents	7,660
Composting emissions as CO₂ equivalents	86,697
Transport related emissions as CO₂ equivalents	29,871
Energy use emissions as CO₂ equivalents	33,593
Total Viridor emissions as CO₂ equivalents (excl VRM)	1,212,013
Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions per tonne of waste handled (CO₂e tonnes)	0.12

The principal greenhouse gases included in this reporting are CO₂, CH₄ (methane) and N₂O (nitrous oxide). Viridor is committed to improving and refining its reporting of CO₂ equivalents this year.

Within the UK, as well as providing a third of all renewable electricity, the waste management industry has been one of the most effective sectors in reducing greenhouse gas impacts. According to the UK Committee on Climate Change, the sector's emissions fell by 58% from 1990 to 2006. The Committee estimates 11% of further reductions should be achieved by 2020 by continued increased recovery of materials and energy from waste.

Viridor's total emissions for the year were calculated to be around 1.2 million tonnes as carbon dioxide equivalents. Over a million tonnes of which was directly related to landfill emissions. However the majority of this landfill gas was captured and used to create 504GWh of electricity, most of which was fed back into the national grid.

Landfill Gas
Amount of LFG (tonnes)	521,000
Gas Flared (%)	22
Gas used for Power Generation (%)	68
Gas vented (%)	10
Total energy generated from landfill gas capture (GWh)	504
Efficiency of gas capture (%)	90.4

Data collated from the sectors' seven largest operators (including Viridor) shows carbon emissions of 8.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtCO₂e) in 2008. However, about 5.3 mtCO₂e were saved by these operators' activities (principally material recovery and generating renewable energy), suggesting net sector emissions of 3.5 mtCO₂e.

The Company landfill emissions are reported through the Environment Agency's pollution inventory. Further improvements continue in the capture of landfill gas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, brought about by a combination of a reduction in uncapped areas and early implementation of gas extraction.

With a fleet of more than 950 large goods and site vehicles in operation, engine emissions remain a key issue. There is continued need for waste and recyclates to travel significant distances to appropriate treatment or disposal sites, or to end markets. Logistical efficiencies are maximised for business benefits and emissions reduction. All new LGVs are fitted with lower emission Euro 5 engines. Part of the Viridor Transport Group remit is to identify areas where efficiency savings can be made which can be rolled out across the Company. Alternative transport arrangements, such as rail, that reduce emissions and congestion are also maximised, as is the case in the Greater Manchester contract where four rail heads will be utilised.

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Emissions