NI RDF exports reach 16 per cent of UK total as rest of country cuts shipments. Northern Ireland accounted for 16.1 per cent of the UK's total refuse-derived fuel exports in 2025, shipping 302,000 tonnes to European EfW plants, according to data from independent analysts Refynix. The region's exports rose five per cent year on year while the UK total fell 13 per cent.
Scotland exported 25,000 tonnes of RDF in 2025, down from 100,000, while Wales exported 47,000 tonnes. Northern Ireland has no operational energy-from-waste capacity, compared with 64 fully operational EfW plants elsewhere in the UK and a further 11 in construction or commissioning. Over 85 per cent of NI's waste exports pass through Warrenpoint port, where RDF storage has generated persistent odour complaints and political fallout since 2024.
Indaver, the European waste management company behind the proposed £250 million arc21 residual waste project, said the data proved Northern Ireland was an outlier. Colin O'Hanlon of Indaver said the project required only a Department for Infrastructure ministerial planning decision to progress to the next procurement stage, where arc21 councils would make a democratic decision on whether to proceed.
The UK processed 4.013 million tonnes of waste wood in 2025, 89 per cent of the total generated, according to annual statistics from the Wood Recyclers' Association. The figure is down 7.3 per cent on 2024 after unplanned outages at end-use plants created oversupply and squeezed storage.
recell.store, the Altilium-owned marketplace for used EV batteries, has partnered with testing firm ClearWatt to offer battery health assessments to salvage yards and dismantlers. A pilot will use ClearWatt's EV Flash Test to generate independent health data supporting marketplace transactions.
Packaging firm Pact Group has invested in Plan B Circular, the UK textile-to-textile polyester recycler behind Project Re:claim, its joint venture with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL). The deal aims to scale polyester recycling ahead of EU legislation expected in 2028.