Waste to Energy
Waste-to-energy
Taking Care of Garbage
Michelle Rowland
Buena Vista University
Waste-to-energy
Taking Care of Garbage
We all have to share this world with its limited resources. We must take advantage of all resources we have, regardless if they came from the earth, are man made, or are waste products. The average person in America throws away 3.7 pounds of garbage every day (Resource Recovery Public Works, 2009). It is no surprise that this leads to landfills that are filling faster than we ever thought due to more people and the increasing throwaway economy. We are facing geological limits for landfills in many areas. Waste-to-energy is a productive method of relieving stresses on natural and man made resources. Waste-to-energy plants turn problems into energy solutions by reducing the amount of garbage and using the energy from the trash as a resource for energy.
Running out of landfills Many areas are running out of landfills and the space to develop any landfill. For instance, New York was one of the first major cities to run out of landfill space. The landfill for the New York area was closed in March 2001, leaving New York to haul garbage to landfill sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. New York’s garbage alone accounts for over 12,000 tons going to other landfills daily. In addition, Toronto, Canada’s largest city closed its last landfill on December 31, 2002. Toronto is hauling their garbage to Michigan. The landfills of Athens, Greece reached capacity and closed at the end of 2006. The garbage of Athens is sitting in their streets as communities in Greece have been unwilling to take the Athens garbage. Athens is facing a garbage crisis. China is facing similar challenges. Some areas of China are letting the garbage sit on unoccupied areas where the landfills have closed (Brown, 2008). The increase of garbage in the streets will have damaging affects on the health and livelihoods of the citizens of the area.
Taking Care of Garbage
Michelle Rowland
Buena Vista University
Waste-to-energy
Taking Care of Garbage
We all have to share this world with its limited resources. We must take advantage of all resources we have, regardless if they came from the earth, are man made, or are waste products. The average person in America throws away 3.7 pounds of garbage every day (Resource Recovery Public Works, 2009). It is no surprise that this leads to landfills that are filling faster than we ever thought due to more people and the increasing throwaway economy. We are facing geological limits for landfills in many areas. Waste-to-energy is a productive method of relieving stresses on natural and man made resources. Waste-to-energy plants turn problems into energy solutions by reducing the amount of garbage and using the energy from the trash as a resource for energy.
Running out of landfills Many areas are running out of landfills and the space to develop any landfill. For instance, New York was one of the first major cities to run out of landfill space. The landfill for the New York area was closed in March 2001, leaving New York to haul garbage to landfill sites in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. New York’s garbage alone accounts for over 12,000 tons going to other landfills daily. In addition, Toronto, Canada’s largest city closed its last landfill on December 31, 2002. Toronto is hauling their garbage to Michigan. The landfills of Athens, Greece reached capacity and closed at the end of 2006. The garbage of Athens is sitting in their streets as communities in Greece have been unwilling to take the Athens garbage. Athens is facing a garbage crisis. China is facing similar challenges. Some areas of China are letting the garbage sit on unoccupied areas where the landfills have closed (Brown, 2008). The increase of garbage in the streets will have damaging affects on the health and livelihoods of the citizens of the area.
References: Jackson, D. (2009, June 15). Trash = Energy. Gaston Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.gastongazette.com/news/county-35003-gaston-trash.html Michaels, T Municipal Solid Waste. (n.d.). Environmental Protection Agency: Waste to Energy. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/RDEE/energy-and-you/affect/municipal-sw.html Resource Recovery Plant Resource Recovery Public Works [Fact Sheets]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2009, from City of Ames website: http://www.cityofames.org/WorksWeb/resourcerecovery/ Waste to Energy Waste-to-energy plant proposed for Sugar Loaf. (2009, December 4). The Warwick Advertiser. Retrieved from http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2009/12/05/warwick_advertiser/news/18.txt Zafar, S