An influential task force is urging Defra and the DTI to take a much stronger line supporting the recovery of energy from waste.

The Biomass Task Force, which is headed by former National Farmers' Union president Sir Ben Gill, is to make its final report to government on October 25.

But draft recommendations made public on Thursday – at a time when the government is reviewing its waste strategy – calls for "efficient and safe recovery of energy from waste (post re-use and recycling)" to be "actively encouraged".

In a report covering the potential for biological matter (biomass) to help meet UK renewable energy generation targets, the task force states that: "in theory by 2020, residual municipal solid waste could account for up to 17% of total UK electrical consumption".

It said the "overlooked resource" could save up to 2.31 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by displacing fossil fuels in electricity production – as well as up to 6.25 million tonnes in heat generation.

There is a "strong expectation" that the final report from the task force will "do something to shift the barriers which currently seem to stand in the way of the greater use of the biomass resource, including here both virgin biomass and “waste” biomass resources", it said.

Plan

The task force wants the government to work with the waste industry to develop a strategic plan for the use of energy-from-waste based around plants that can maximise the amount of energy and heat generated. Government policy should encourage energy-from-waste plants to make use of potential heat generation rather than only selling the electricity generated.

Anaerobic digestion is also highlighted by the task force, which suggests that the UK's needs could be well-served by developing a "small-scale modular plant suitable for UK production and operational support".

The task force also suggests the role of WRAP – the Waste and Resources Action Programme – should be "extended to include the strategic development of wood waste as an energy source".