ABDA Urges Govt To Boost Funding For AD

The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ABDA) has called for the government to increase its funding for anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities across the UK ahead of the Budget announcement next month.

It stated that more biomethane plants need to be deployed to produce fuel created by organic waste, Edie.net reported. This is particularly important as the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme is due to expire in 2021, which could present the perfect opportunity to invest in another environmentally-friendly initiative.

ABDA’s chief executive Charlotte Morton said consistent policy and funding has helped the wind and solar industries become established.

However, there is a lack of support for AD, which is a waste of the “huge untapped potential” of the methane being released from millions of tonnes of decomposing waste currently left in landfill sites.

She stated: “AD should be given the same fair treatment, to put the sector on the ‘glide path’ to no subsidy, as costs come down and innovation drives cost savings across the industry.”

Ms Morton went on to say: “The sector’s progress has already effectively stalled due to the lack of policy certainty, and there is a real risk of losing expertise if there is an on-going gap in policy provision.”

Instead, ABDA believes councils need to be given more financial support to establish separate food waste collections, which will become mandatory in 2023. This could go a long way to establish AD processes.

By investing more in AD, this could help the UK achieve its targets to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Its goal, announced in June, is a dramatic step forward from its previous target of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent of 1990 levels.

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