Renewable Waste Energy

Organic waste prepared for composting.

Improved waste-processing methods are powerful tools to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate renewable electricity. Read more to learn about the types of projects you'll support by offsetting your carbon emissions with Replant Eden.

Biogas

Biogas is released through the decomposition of organic materials under anaerobic (oxygen-lacking) conditions; for example, food waste decomposing in a landfill will release biogas. Biogas is composed primarily of methane, which is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas: over a 20-year period, methane has a global warming potential (GWP) 84 times higher than CO₂ [1]. Methane, also known as natural gas, is a common fuel burned for heating, cooking, and energy. When methane is burned as fuel rather than released directly into the atmosphere, its greenhouse gas effects are greatly reduced. Biogas projects are implemented at landfills, where biogas is collected and stored before it can escape into the atmosphere. From there, the biogas can be burned as as a renewable fuel.

Composting

Composting refers to the collection of organic waste, such as food scraps, and keeping them in an environment that facilitates aerobic (oxygen-rich) decomposition rather than anaerobic decomposition. Rather than allowing food waste to rot in a landfill and release methane, composting prevents the release of methane, and thus prevents greenhouse gas effects from occurring. Composting can be done on a small scale, such as an individual household, or on a large scale, such as an industrial composting operation that collects organic waste from its community. An additional benefit of composting is the production of compost, which can be added to gardens and farms as a natural and sustainable fertilizer.

Waste Heat Recovery

Heat is created as a byproduct of most industrial processes, especially those involving combustion. This "waste heat" can be captured and used to generate energy, which offsets carbon emissions by reducing the demand for fossil fuel power. Because it's a byproduct of existing industry, waste heat recovery is by itself a clean source of energy.

Projects

CGR Guatapará Landfill Project

Location	Guatapará, São Paulo, Brazil
Method	Biogas energy generation
Monitoring Agency	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Monitoring Report	Link to PDF

ESTRE Paulínia Landfill

Location	Paulínia, São Paulo, Brazil
Method	Biogas energy generation
Monitoring Agency	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Monitoring Report	Link to PDF

MSPSL Waste Heat Recovery Based Captive Power

Location	Chhattisgarh, India
Method	Waste heat recovery and energy generation
Monitoring Agency	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Monitoring Report	Link to PDF

Bundled Composting in Tamil Nadu

Location	Tamil Nadu, India
Method	Composting
Monitoring Agency	United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Monitoring Report	Link to PDF

You can offset your carbon with renewable waste energy projects by joining Replant Eden.

References:

1. Myhre, G., D. Shindell, F.-M. Bréon, W. Collins, J. Fuglestvedt, J. Huang, D. Koch, J.-F. Lamarque, D. Lee, B. Mendoza, T. Nakajima, A. Robock, G. Stephens, T. Takemura and H. Zhang, 2013: Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.