This article contains the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) projects. Of course, this list is not exclusive, so if you have any other questions which are not answered below - please feel free to get in touch with our team!
Are Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) project activities that make use of waste materials prior to the project eligible for certification?
The answer to this question is usually no - these projects would not be eligible for certification. However, if convincing evidence can be provided to show that the current users agree with the shift of use resulting from the project, certification may still be possible.
They must be done as follows for projects with installed energy generation capacities of:
- Less than or equal to 15 MW or 45 MWth – Before validation begins
- Greater than 15 MW or 45 MWth – Before validation begins and before each verification
Is a stakeholder consultation required for MSW incineration projects?
Yes. You will need to get meaningful, effective and informed participation from stakeholder groups such as local communities who are living in the nearby area, and may be impacted (whether positively or negatively) by the project. You'll need to carry out these consultations while adhering to the stakeholder consultation and engagement requirements.
Are waste incineration and gasification (Municipal Solid Waste incineration) activities eligible for certification?
Yes, but there is extra work needed alongside the standard project eligibility requirements.
Stakeholder consolation and efficient energy generation will be vital to the success of your project, with the same requirements as mentioned above. In addition, the following regulations must be followed:
- Awareness programme – The project shall develop and implement a waste management awareness programme to encourage stakeholders to adopt best practices for waste reduction, reuse and recycling and avoid any negative impact on prevailing waste management practices in the project boundary. Such a programme may include a variety of activities, such as community outreach and education campaigns, educational campaigns via local schools and other institutes, educational displays, television/radio campaigns, etc.
- Performance evaluation – The programme performance shall be evaluated frequently, at minimum biennially following the date of design certification, to assess its effectiveness and it shall be amended when required.
- Emissions and operational requirements – To avoid any potential negative impact, the project seeking certification under Gold Standard for the Global Goals shall meet the most stringent regulatory requirements available for emissions and operation of MSW incineration plant. In this regard, the Project Developer shall compare the host country regulatory requirements with the most recent version of European Union Regulations for Waste Incineration Plants & Waste Coincineration Plants and shall submit the comparison table for Gold Standard review at the time of preliminary review. If due to the type of technology or otherwise it is not feasible to meet the most stringent regulatory requirements, the Project Developer shall submit the rationale and proposed mitigation measures at the time of preliminary review. In such cases, Gold Standard will make a decision in consultation with the experts (if required) on a case-by-case basis.
The Project Developer shall put measures in place to ensure that the applicable host country or other applicable regulations are met.
- Ongoing monitoring – The Project Developer shall report on compliance status with regards to regulatory requirements within six months of the operational start date, where applicable, and annually after the first reporting.
- Annual Report – The Project Developer shall include the relevant information in the Annual Report, as required under Gold Standard for the Global Goals.