Ask many of those who work in the sector, and they will tell you they 'fell’ into the world of energy from waste. But for Siegfried Scholz, responsible for Kanadevia Inova’s German market and President of European Suppliers of Waste-to-Energy Technology (ESWET), it was an active choice taken in 2017.

Since I was very young, I was engaged in environmental protection and that's what drove me for many years. It is why I'm in this industry.” 

Leaving university in 1988 with a degree in industrial engineering, Mr Scholz went to work for German company Deutsche Babcock, while studying for a PhD in Power Plant Engineering. After career moves within the company and at Oschatz – a manufacturer of special boilers, he moved to an American owned company in Luxembourg specialising in combustion equipment. Then to Standardkessel Baumgarte which, after a group merger in 2017, brought him into the energy from waste sector for good. “[The sector] comprises of all the core components which I have been dealing with all my professional life - the combustion systems, boilers, turbines, and flue gas treatment, but I really see a societal need for this technology too. It's great [working in] a service needed by everybody, even if it's not seen like that by everyone.”

Now Mr Scholz works for Kanadevia Inova, an EfW and Renewable Gas company based in Switzerland, where he is responsible for their German market. The job varies from working on technical projects to helping with sales and commercial challenges.

There is not one day like another day which is what I like most about it,” he said.

Recently, in part due to the recent BBC report on the EfW sector and also his role as President of ESWET, Mr Scholz has also been speaking about the sector's image. The BBC report, which dubbed the sector as the UK’s ‘dirtiest’ form of power, has caused a lot of discussion about the role of EfW in the UK. Mr Scholz made it clear that the report has not been ignored by mainland Europe.

We need to act to counter false claims against waste to energy.”

Mr Scholz described the report as “dishonest and disappointing” as the report missed the primary role of EfW - treating residual waste. He noted that there has been a lot of “misinformation” about the sector circulating for some time and that more open debate is needed for those outside of the sector to truly understand its role within waste treatment.

We are very open to a fair debate about the respective limits of waste to energy, the limits of landfill, or other ways to treat the waste. But if any one of the participants decided not to take into account the facts they don't like, it's meaningless.”

He acknowledged some of the issues currently facing the sector, including concerns about overcapacity in the UK market leading to more pressure on new potential EfWs to prove there is a need for treatment facilities. However, for now, at least, Mr Scholz noted that there is a need for additional waste incineration capacity, due in part to technical limitations in the sorting process. “We are happy for plastics and the moisture from the biogenic components to be taken out, but there are technical limits to what we can do in that regard. So, you can reduce a certain amount of unrecyclable waste by pre-sorting and treating it differently, like in Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants, but you will not fully solve the issue. So the best way to deal with the remaining waste is still to incinerate it in a state-of the-art EfW plant, ideally with material recovery from IBA and with CO2 capture.”

Correcting widespread opinions of EfW can be difficult to manage which is why it is a significant part of ESWET’s work. However, one of the big hurdles the organisation faces is funding. With a much smaller budget than many of the NGOs campaigning against incineration, which is used to finance reports and campaigning, lobbying for the EU to factor in the needs of the EfW sector is difficult. Thankfully, member numbers have doubled since 2020 and Mr Scholz explained how satisfied he is that ESWET is being viewed as a growing player with a valued opinion at EU level and even globally. He said: “[Being a member of ESWET] gives us a bigger role: earlier insight into the legislative projects in the EU as well as an enhanced networking with the sector. And because we are renown to provide factual information, ESWET’s input is generally well received and considered by legislators.”

On behalf of ESWET, Mr Scholz is speaking at the 2025 Energy from Waste Conference in London, discussing how to achieve a level playing field for landfill and EfW. Within this discussion on carbon pricing and regulation, is the idea of a landfill ban, a strategy to cut down emissions that some other European countries have already taken. Mr Scholz explained how a landfill ban in Germany, which was achieved in 2005, has had a positive impact. “[The ban] triggered the development of lots of plants and a lot more recycling. Germany is quite good at recycling, although still not good enough,” Mr Scholz said. “But if you look at GHG emissions from landfills, because even the old landfills still emit methane and other pollutants, they are now down to 3% of what they were in 1990. And I think that can be a universal claim. If you don't establish a landfill ban on untreated MSW one way or other, you will never [achieve the low emissions needed].”

After a fruitful career in the industry – a PhD in Power Plant Engineering, specialising in combustion equipment and working on both the commercial and technical sides of the EfW sector – I asked Mr Scholz what his pitch would be to someone thinking about joining it.

What drove me to it, and probably the most convincing part, is that we provide a needed service,” he said. “It’s a challenge that makes every day of your life a different and interesting day.”

Every plant is different, and as each one gets more sophisticated thanks to technologies new to the sector like CCS, heat pumps, robotics and AI, the sector needs capable people to run them effectively. He added: “There is no end in sight for innovation,” he added. “[This industry] will make you feel alive until you retire.”

By Izzy Felton 

Siegfried Scholz is a speaker at the 2025 Energy from Waste Conference, taking place in London on 5-6 March. Find an exclusive EfW Network discount code here!