What extra figure does the Greenhouse Gas Protocol suggest I report when my waste goes to waste-to-energy, and how do I compare it with the Indian grid?
The guidance suggests reporting, separately from your inventory, the combustion emissions per unit of net electricity the plant generates, next to the local grid average factor. It says burning plastic is likely to be more carbon-intensive per kilowatt hour than the grid. This shows whether your waste route makes dirtier power.
Why the guidance asks for a second figure
Under the guidance's boundary, recycling and waste-to-energy both leave very little in your Category 5, which it describes as emissions reported as close to zero. So the total cannot tell you which route is better. The guidance therefore suggests that companies report additional information separately to help them choose between options such as recycling and waste-to-energy.
The waste-to-energy figure
If electricity is generated from waste-to-energy, the guidance says companies may report separately the emissions per unit of net electrical generation from the combustion stage, set against the local grid average electricity emission factor, in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per kilowatt hour (kWh). Its own example: incinerating plastic waste is likely to be more carbon-intensive per kWh than the grid average.
Its stated purpose is to show whether sending waste to that plant leads to more or less carbon-intensive electricity for the region.
What to ask the plant for
- Net electricity sent out in the year, in kWh, after the plant's own use.
- Combustion emissions for the year, or per tonne of waste, and how they were worked out.
- Tonnes of waste received, so that you can check the plant's per tonne figure against its totals.
- The year the figures cover, which should match your reporting year.
How to read it against the Indian grid
The grid factor used on this site for 2025-26 is 0.675 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kWh, and 0.710 for 2024-25. The guidance's metric is in CO2e, and the grid factor is CO2 alone, so note that small difference when you compare. A plant figure above the grid factor means that kWh is dirtier than average grid power; below it means cleaner. The guidance says to report it separately, so keep it outside your Scope 1, 2 and 3 totals.
Example: one tonne of mixed waste at an example plant
- Plant sends out 450 kWh of net electricity per tonne of waste (example)
- Combustion emissions 495 kilograms CO2e per tonne of waste (example)
- Per kWh: 495 / 450 = 1.10 kilograms CO2e
- Indian grid, 2025-26: 0.675 kilograms CO2 per kWh. Ratio: 1.10 / 0.675 = 1.63, so about 63 percent higher
- For every 1,000 kWh: 1,100 kilograms from this plant against 675 from the grid, 425 kilograms more
The plant figures are example numbers, not measured values. The guidance names plastic as a likely case above the grid average; your plant's own figures decide.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into monthly records, so your own grid purchases are on file. It does not read a waste plant's output, so ask the plant for its net kWh and combustion figures.
Last reviewed 2026-11-06. The grid factor follows the figure Senseible uses for each financial year; check the current year before you publish. The guidance calls this metric optional.