GHD calls on citizens, governments, and industry to embrace waste-to-energy solutions to achieve global climate goals

Municipal, commercial, and industrial consumers all stand to benefit from advancing the potential of a circular energy economy and achieve a greener future


TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GHD, one of the world’s leading professional services firms, has launched No Time to Waste, a North American public awareness campaign championing the potential of biogas to decarbonize natural gas networks, support a circular energy economy, and help achieve some of the ambitious emission reduction goals set forth by global leaders at COP26. 

As part of the campaign, GHD published a whitepaper including insights from GHD engineers, scientists and climate change experts across North America. According to data cited by GHD, solid waste is projected to grow 70 percent to 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050 due to population growth and natural human activity. The whitepaper outlines the opportunities available to scale up the development of multi-stakeholder projects to reverse this trend and turn waste into energy and provide clean energy solutions at the local level. 

“As more and more jurisdictions declare climate emergencies around the world, sustainable energy sources like biogas are critical to providing the closed-loop solutions our climate desperately needs,” said Margaret Zuckweiler, GHD’s Waste Service Line Leader. “The opportunity to capture unrealized energy potential from available waste organics has never been greater.”

The No Time to Waste campaign is being rolled out across North America to promote waste-to-energy solutions among municipalities, state and provincial governments, as well as decision makers in the energy, transportation and commercial sectors. The campaign is also focused on empowering consumers to take up the cause in their own homes and daily lives. According to GHD research, the most significant waste category is food and green waste, representing over 40 percent of global municipal waste generated.

“As cities, states and whole countries declare climate emergencies, there’s an urgent global need to decarbonize which requires bold action and collaboration,” said Robert Dysiewicz, GHD’s Future Energy Global Innovation Leader. “Along with everything we heard during COP26, it’s well understood that accelerating the circular economy transition through policies and investment needs to happen now.”

There are a number of factors currently accelerating the adoption of waste-into-energy technologies, including the banning of organic wastes from landfills and growing consumer awareness of circular waste strategies like composting of organic household waste to be turned into green energy like renewable natural gas (RNG). RNG can be generated from various available biogas sources, including landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, and agricultural. 

“RNG is a viable option today, and with the right tools we’re focused on helping clients get it right,” said Patrick Young, GHD’s National RNG Leader. “It takes a continuous understanding of the market, contractual implications including feedstock offtake, and identifying where the gas is sent to ensure the return on the investment pays off.”

About GHD:

GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy and urbanisation sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 10,000+ specialists are connected across 200 offices located in five continents. www.ghd.com

GHD in North America:
GHD has a significant project and economic footprint in North America. Our North American business represents 40 percent of GHD’s global workforce with nearly 4,000 professionals in over 130 offices in the US, Canada and Chile. GHD ranks #10 in international design firms operating in the US and #8 in Canada according to Engineering News-Record’s annual survey of key market segments. These rankings reflect the size and significance of our growing North American businesses.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact: 

Kathleen Munro, PR Strategist,
Pilot PMR
+1-902-789-3165
kathleen.munro@pilotpmr.com  
Sarah Howell, NA Media and Communications Manager, GHD
+1-224.234.6389
sarah.howell@ghd.com