All businesses generate waste from their processes and the everyday activities of their employees. The responsible management of waste is a key element of sustainable development. An environmentally responsible company aims to minimise its waste production and reuses or recycles as much as possible of that which is produced, thus improving efficiency, cutting resource use and pollution, as well as minimising costs.

Wastes produced by our activities are many and varied, ranging from wastes from power station processes, such as used lubricating oils, to general maintenance wastes from our network activities, and office wastes such as paper and redundant IT equipment.

Total amount of hazardous waste (including waste from demolition), kt *

	2004	2005
Produced	38.7	17.1
Recycled	21.9	1.9
Disposed	16.8	14.9

* kilotonnes

Hazardous waste is essentially waste that contains hazardous properties that may render it harmful to human health or the environment. The European Commission has issued a Directive on the controlled management of such waste (91/689/EEC) and hazardous waste is defined on the basis of a list, the European Waste Catalogue, drawn up under that Directive.

Total amount of non-hazardous waste (including waste from demolition), kt

	2004	2005
Produced	23.6	42.9
Recycled	18.7	37.2
Disposed	4.9	5.7

The changes in amount of waste produced are primarily the result of different stages of demolition activity at the sites of the closed coal power stations at Drakelow and High Marnham.

Percentage of waste recycled (excluding waste from demolition)

	2004	2005
Hazardous	15	39
Non-hazardous	3	3

Full details of the environmental performance of each our sites is available here and detailed environmental trend data going back to 1990 is available here.

Packaging

E.ON UK has obligations under the Packaging Regulations (Producer Responsibility). These require us to purchase Packaging Recovery notes to cover the amount of obligated packaging produced. The bulk of our obligation comes from our retail marketing and energy-efficiency products. We are members of the Valpak packaging compliance scheme. The total cost of compliance is around £25,000 per year, of which up to £5,000 covers the issue of Packaging Recovery notes with the remainder ensuring legal compliance through robust data collection and reporting processes and compliance scheme membership.

WEEE

The European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive aims to reduce the waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment; and improve the environmental performance of all those involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic products. As a retailer, some of the products we offer our customers are likely to fall within the scope of the directive. WEEE applies to any appliance or device whose primary use or function is electrical or electronic. For example, WEEE applies to a compact fluorescent light bulb but not to a Whispergen micro-combined heat and power (CHP) unit, since its primary purpose is as a high-efficiency gas boiler (which also generates some electricity).

Valpak have won the right to operate a Retail Compliance Scheme which, it is envisaged, would operate in a similar way to the existing Packaging Compliance scheme. The Directive looks likely to come into force in early 2007 and may require historic WEEE data. We are therefore making efforts now to build a robust reporting framework to ensure compliance prior to the legal requirement taking effect.

Ash

Our main by-product is ash from burning coal. It is inert and ideal for use in the construction industry either as a filler/landscaping agent, or as the main constituent of lightweight bricks. The sale of ash is driven by the construction industry's needs and we make every effort to produce ash of a quality that is attractive as a substitute raw material. We have invested heavily in technology that ensures ash quality is consistent and in processes that classify ash for different markets.

Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) and Furnace Bottom Ash (FBA) are produced in our coal-fired power stations at Kingsnorth, Ratcliffe-on-Soar and Ironbridge.

Ash that is not sold is landfilled with a view to reclaiming it if opportunities to sell it for reuse are identified.

Total ash production, kt

	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Furnace bottom ash produced	109.5	129	202.6	179.4	174.1
Pulverised fuel ash produced	610.7	720.4	1406.8	926.3	949.0

The amounts shown in this graph (above) reflect the use of coal-fired power stations to produce electricity. The large values in 2003 are due to the purchase of three coal-fired power stations, two of which were closed by 2004.

Ash sold as % of ash produced

2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
117	85	69	79	76

This graph shows the percentage of ash produced that is sold for use in the construction industry. The volume of sales depends mainly on the market requirements in the particular year. The apparent anomaly in 2001 reflects the temporary storage of by-products pending sale which often occurs some time after production.

Gypsum

Gypsum is another by-product produced from coal-fired electricity generation. Gypsum is required in large quantities by the construction industry and demand is therefore dictated by the construction industry's needs. Gypsum is produced during the process of flue gas desulphurisation using limestone, the primary aim of which is to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) that may otherwise lead to acid precipitation.