Decarbonize Weekly DD003 — Waste-to-X: The Feedstock Nobody Wants to Talk About

📺 Decarbonize Deep Dive 003 | ~22 minDEEP DIVE: The Dirty Reality of Waste-to-EnergyWaste-to-X technologies promise to turn garbage into clean fuels and energy. The carbon scores look incredible, the economics seem attractive — so why isn't it working? In this deep dive, we confront the messy reality behind the circular economy dream.Key topics covered:• The illusion of abundance — only 30% of theoretical waste is practically collectible• The contamination reality that destroys equipment and product quality• The used cooking oil crisis: price spikes, supply fraud, and China's export restrictions• China's 997 waste-to-energy plants — nearly half of global capacity• Why advanced gasification and pyrolysis struggle with real garbage• Enerkem's Edmonton plant retirement — lessons from a pioneer's failure• The economics: tipping fees, policy incentives, and boom-bust cycles• NIMBY opposition affecting 80%+ of proposed facilities• The waste hierarchy conflict: should we burn what we could recycle?The feedstock nobody wants to talk about is waste precisely because it's complicated, messy, and resistant to simple solutions.---🔗 Website: decarbonizeweekly.com📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Also on Spotify: search 'Decarbonize Weekly'#WasteToEnergy #CircularEconomy #Gasification #Pyrolysis #WasteManagement #Decarbonization #DecarbonizeWeekly