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ARTICLE · 11 DECEMBER 2025

UK Emissions Trading Scheme Expands Scope To Energy-From-Waste

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In July 2025, the UK government (along with the Scottish government, the Welsh government, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland...

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Will Land
Will Land
Chris Papanicolaou
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In July 2025, the UK government (along with the Scottish government, the Welsh government, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland) (together "the Authority") published an interim response to the consultation on the expansion of theUK Emissions Trading Scheme ("UK ETS"). This has reconfirmed plans to include energy-from-waste ("EfW") operations within the scope of the UK ETS beginning in 2028, signaling a major change to the waste and resource management sector.

The UK ETS, in operation since January 1, 2021, and based upon the EU ETS following Brexit, currently applies to major emitters of carbon emissions, such as power stations, industrial plants, and the aviation sector. It sets a declining cap on greenhouse gas emissions from covered sectors and requires operators to monitor, report, and surrender allowances for their fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions, pricing pollution in line with the "polluter pays" principle.

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