FAQs

Only if it comes from the biomass element of municipal solid waste (MSW).

Any other energy from waste is not eligible.

Chapter 4 of the government’s RHI announcement says

Energy from waste combustion (the biomass proportion of municipal waste)

Heat from solid biomass contained in municipal waste will be eligible for the RHI and the solid biomass content will not have to be combusted in a separate boiler. Regardless of the RHI, such plants have to comply with waste incineration and environmental permitting legislation. For all installations Ofgem will verify RHI eligibility based on the required documentation provided by RHI applicants as part of the accreditation process, such as schematic diagrams and details about system configuration.

Although it is usually better from an environmental perspective to reuse, recycle or produce biogas from these materials, this is not always possible and combustion can offer a better option than disposal to landfill, which generates harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Due to its renewable biomass proportion, currently around half the heat produced by burning municipal waste is renewable heat.