Page 5 - FULL MAGAZINE MAY 2020

SWEDEN - Waste to Energy Facility

here. It seems Americans just can’t accept
the idea that burning trash could actually
be a good thing for the environment or
public health. While this attitude is
understandable, it would likely fall apart
if more of us knew the facts.
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard that Sweden
incinerates most of its trash. Why don’t we Another issue for WTE in the U.S. is
do more of this in the U.S., given that we’re economics. In Europe and other
running out of landfill space? -- countries, WTE plants receive
Oscar Gentry, New Bern, NC government funding, and landfilling
rates are often higher. In the U.S, it is still
Sweden does burn the vast majority of its often cheaper to landfill waste than to
trash—only one percent of the country’s turn it into energy.
waste ends up in landfills—and even makes
a profit by importing trash from However, WTE could still have a
neighboring countries to process in its high- future in America. In many areas where
efficiency, low emission incinerators. And it landfill rates are expensive, WTE is
makes a lot of sense, given the huge toll increasingly looking like a promising
landfills take on the environment, leaking solution. If these rates continue to rise,
liquids into surrounding soils and polluting and the government decides to reallocate
groundwater while sending huge amounts of some of its funding, we might be seeing
methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the more WTE plants come online before
atmosphere. long.
More data coming in from other
Burning waste in an uncontrolled setting is countries about the benefits they’re
undeniably terrible for the environment, deriving from WTE operations could also
given the huge load of carbon dioxide, accelerate this adoption process. Finally,
dioxin and volatile organic compounds sent advances in scrubbing and cleaning
skyward. But in a modern waste incineration technologies will likely reduce the
facility, excess gases leftover after the trash negative impact of incineration even
is burned undergo a thorough filtering and more.
scrubbing process that complies with
stringent environmental standards You can help facilitate the transition to
(delineated in the Clean Air Act here in the WTE by encouraging local officials to
U.S. and by even stricter rules across the consider it as a viable option for
European Union). Furthermore, incinerating expanding waste management capacity
trash reduces its volume by 87 percent, given the shrinking amount of landfill
which directly translates to an equivalent space available to municipalities Learn about the new voting experience rolling out in LA County for March
reduction in the amount of space required everywhere and lack of other good 2020. League of Women Voters of Los Angeles | 3303 Wilshire Boulevard , Suite
for landfills. options for getting rid of our garbage. 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90010

At this point, much of the world has CONTACTS: “Canada produces the
adopted waste-to-energy (WTE) most waste in the world. The U.S. ranks
technologies, with almost 800 facilities third,” www.usatoday.com/story/ Looking for a SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY?
around the world. In the EU, there are about money/2019/07/12/canada-united-
400 WTE facilities currently in operation. In states-worlds-biggest-producers-of- CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING FULLERTON
the U.S., however, there are only 77. This is waste/39534923/; “Ethiopia has an
somewhat surprising, especially given that innovative power plant that turns waste 373 E. Imperial Highway, Fullerton, CA 92835
landfills are America’s third largest methane to energy,” youtube.com/
emitter. Additionally, America is one of the watch?v=K2SBjf1O0HU.
largest waste producers in the world, both as MAY 2020
a nation, and per capita. Why not convert all
this waste into energy? EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer
& Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit
But WTE has faced many stumbling blocks EarthTalk. See more at https://
in the U.S. Public stigma against WTE has emagazine.com. To donate, visit https:// VIEW SERVICES on the INTERNET
played a significant role in preventing earthtalk.org. Send questions to:
widespread adoption of this technology question@earthtalk.org. www.CSLFullerton.org
RESOURCES click Sundays/Past Services

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May 2020 5