Environment Report 2016

Figure 17: Total 44 Waste Generated Offshore by Disposal Route

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0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000 100,000

Landfill

Reuse and Recycle

Other*

Incineration

Waste to Energy

2

3

Waste (Tonnes)

4

5

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

*Any other disposal route. This includes treatment of aqueous wastes, composting and land spreading

Source: EEMS July 2016

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The amount of waste landed at each port and its subsequent disposal route is influenced by the waste generation location as well as the availability of waste contractors and disposal facilities near the port. Just over 192,500 tonnes (88 per cent) of the total waste returned to shore landed in the north east of Scotland at ports in Aberdeen and Peterhead. Of this, 81,000 tonnes (42 per cent) were sent to landfill for disposal, while 33 per cent (63,000 tonnes) was designated as “other” for disposal routes such as treatment of aqueous wastes, composting and land spreading. Almost 46,000 tonnes (24 per cent) were reused or recycled. 3.6 Fluorinated Gases Fluorinated gases (F-gases) are used for industrial applications such as refrigeration, air conditioning and to a lesser extent fire protection systems and electrical switch gears. They are a known GHG and contribute towards global warming and, as such, their use is regulated under the 2014 EU Fluorinated Greenhouse Gas Regulation as part of the Kyoto Protocol 45 . The Regulation impacts anyone who manufactures, uses or services equipment that contains F-gases, like refrigeration, air conditioning systems, solvents or aerosols and is therefore applicable to the offshore oil and gas industry. Regulated F-gases include HFCs, PFCs and other perfluorinated compounds including SF 6 . emissions of HFCs between 2010 and 2015, with the number of platforms reporting each year rising from 117 in 2010 to 222 in 2015. This reflects the importance that industry places on managing the use of F-gases. Eliminating the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) due to their environmental impact may also have led to an increase in the use of HFCs as suitable replacements. Figure 18 overleaf shows that improved reporting from offshore installations led to an increase in the CO 2 e

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44 Total waste includes drilling, operational and decommissioning wastes. 45 See http://bit.ly/EUFgas14

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