programs

Waste to Energy Program 3

Other Environmental Advantages of Waste-to-Energy "One Point that is clear is that the substitution of biomass for fossil fuels, if done in a sustainable fashion, would greatly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The amount of carbon dioxide released when biomass is burned is very nearly the same as the amount required to replenish the plants grown to produce the biomass... if biomass wastes such as crop residues or municipal solid waste [garbage] are used for energy, there should be few or no net greenhouse gas emissions." Cool Energy, The Union of Concerned Scientists⁹ By replacing fossil fuels, waste-to-energy reduces the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trash is mostly biomass,¹⁰ materials like paper, natural rubber, wood, cloth and food waste, materials that are made from plants and trees. Biomass is renewable energy and it does not add to the buildup of greenhouse gases like fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas), which release carbon that was stored deep underground. While burning biomass does release carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide is taken back out of the atmosphere as the next crop of plants or trees grows up. (Biologists call this the carbon cycle.) What's the "Best" Way to Take Care of Garbage? Much of our trash now lives a second life. Ten years ago, America recycled 10 percent of the materials in its trash, and recovered energy from only two percent. Today, we recover about 20 percent of our trash for recycling, and we burn 16 percent for energy. In talking about waste-to-energy, we must also talk about waste reduction, recycling, composting and landfilling. This is because most municipal solid waste systems use more than one of these ways to take care of trash. Some of the leading recycling programs in the country rely on waste-to-energy to take care of trash left after recycling. In fact, the average recycling rate of communities with waste-to-energy plants is above the national average.¹³ "Biomass energy production could be tripled in the next 20 years. The main obstacle is perceptual. The popular image of burning wastes of any kind is undeservedly negative. Waste-fueled plants have demonstrated their ability to meet even the strict air quality rules of Southern California." Dr. Bruce Piasecki, Author of In Search of Environmental Excellence: Moving Beyond Blame

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©From America's Newest Energy Source and Making a Clean Energy Source Cleaner. Call (202) 659-3819 for samples. Volume discounts available for quantities from 100 to 20,000 copies. All material Copyright 1994 by the AIMS Coalition [American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Integrated Waste Services Association (IWSA), Municipal Waste Management Association of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (MWMA), and Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)].