Question: Are waste-to-energy facilities safe for the environment?

Answer: Yes.  Waste-to-energy facilities produce electricity with “less environmental impact than almost any other source of electricity,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “EPA recognizes the vital role of the nation’s municipal waste-to-energy industry,” wrote former EPA Administrator Marianne Lamont Horinko, and Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation, Jeffrey Holmstead. Waste-to-energy facilities are a “clean, reliable, renewable source of energy.”

America’s waste-to-energy facilities today meet some of the most stringent environmental standards in the world and employ the most advanced emissions control equipment available including scrubbers to control acid gas, fabric filters to control particulate, selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) to control nitrogen oxides, and carbon injection to control mercury and organic emissions.

Waste-to-energy technology prevents the emission of eleven million metric tons of greenhouse gases (methane and carbon dioxide) that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere on an annual basis. In addition, waste-to-energy serves as an alternative to land disposal and power generation from fossil fuels, which prevents the release of more than 20,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 2.2 million tons of volatile organic compounds.

Question: Why have so few new waste-to-energy plants been built in the last ten years?

Answer: Waste-to-energy facilities rely on revenue from waste disposal and energy sales. Over the past ten years, the price of land disposal has been low, providing stiff competition. In addition, the price of electricity had also been low.

But times are changing. The high cost of electricity, combined with the elevated fuel costs of hauling trash to distant landfills has communities considering waste-to-energy once again. An expansion of the waste-to-energy facility is already under construction in Lee County, Florida. York County (PA), Hillsborough County (FL), and others are also considering expanding their facilities. A waste-to-energy facility in Harrisburg, PA has been completely rebuilt and will be brought online shortly. New waste-to-energy facilities are also being considered in Maryland, Hawaii, California and elsewhere.

Question: Is the burning of garbage in a waste-to-energy plant dangerous for those who live nearby?

Answer:  No.  Modern waste-to-energy facilities are subject to comprehensive health risk assessments that repeatedly show that waste-to-energy is safe and effective. The National Research Council wrote in its study that today’s waste-to-energy facilities are designed and operated to produce nearly complete combustion of waste and emit low amounts of pollutants. Waste-to-energy destroys pathogens, organics, and other disease-bearing material in trash. Trash coming into a waste-to-energy facility is handled in enclosed tipping halls that are maintained under negative pressure to pull air directly into the boilers and destroy any odors.

Question: Is waste-to-energy a renewable energy source?

Answer: Yes.  Waste-to-energy is renewable because its fuel source---garbage---is sustainable and non-depletable. According to the U.S. EPA, waste-to-energy is a “clean, reliable, renewable source of energy.” In addition, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Federal Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s regulations, and fifteen states all recognize waste-to-energy power as renewable.

Question: Is it true that waste-to-energy is a significant source of both air emissions and toxic wastes containing dioxin, mercury, lead and other harmful substances?

Answer: No, modern waste-to-energy facilities meet or exceed EPA’s Maxiumum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards. America’s waste-to-energy facilities spent $1 billion to retrofit pollution control equipment to achieve the strictest federal standards. “The performance of the MACT retrofits has been outstanding,” according to the U.S. EPA. “Upgrading of the emissions control system of large combustors to exceed the requirements of the Clean Air Act Section 129 standards is an impressive accomplishment.”

Directly attributable to these retrofits, emissions of dioxin decreased by more than 99 percent; lead, mercury, cadmium, and hydrogen chloride emissions dropped by more than 90 percent. Further, particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions dropped nearly 90 percent and emissions of nitrogen oxides decreased by 18 percent. Consequently, waste-to-energy plants are now considered insignificant sources of these pollutants. These reductions led the U.S. EPA to conclude that waste-to-energy produces electricity with “less environmental impact than almost any other source of electricity.”

Question: Is the ash from waste-to-energy plants safe?

Answer: Yes, ash residue from waste-to-energy facilities is tested in accordance with strict state and federal leaching tests and is consistently shown to be safe for land disposal and reuse. Waste-to-energy reduces the volume of trash by about 90%, resulting in a 90% decrease in the amount of land required for garbage disposal. Ash also exhibits concrete-like properties causing it to harden once it is placed and compacted in a landfill, reducing the potential for rainwater to leach contaminants from ash landfills into the ground.

Question: Is burning trash in a waste-to-energy facility an obstacle to recycling?

Answer: No. In fact, communities with waste-to-energy facilities have an average recycling rate of 33% as compared with the national average of 28%. Waste-to-energy plants annually recover for recycling more than 700,000 tons of ferrous metals on-site. These facilities annually recycle more than 3 million tons of glass, metal, plastics, batteries, ash and yard waste. More than one-third of all ash is being reused as an aggregate material in roads and as landfill cover.