How does EfW relate to recycling efforts?

A Happy Marriage: EfW and Recycling
Many people are surprised to find out that Energy-from-Waste facilities not only compliment recycling programs, but they actually help to boost recycling levels in communities that they serve. The average recycling rate for waste-to-energy communities across the United States is 33%, while the national recycling rate is 28%. This statistic further illustrates the compatible relationship between recycling and Energy-from-Waste and how both can be part of an integral waste management process.
The excellent recycling record of communities can be attributed to several factors, including onsite recycling efforts at waste-to-energy plants, the importance a community places on recycling as part of a comprehensive solid waste management plan, and the economics of recycling.

What kind of positive influences does EfW have on our planet?

Covanta: taking trash to the next level
The average American produces more than 1,600 pounds of waste a year. If all this waste were landfilled, it would take more than two cubic yards of landfill space. Currently, over 50% of our nation’s waste is buried in landfills annually, which poses a number of problems. Land is a precious commodity and at the present rate 3,500 acres (13.7 square kilometers, equivalent to four NYC Central Parks) are lost annually to landfills. This number will continue to rise to keep pace with our ever-increasing production of trash.

Waste is a problem that will not go away, and will only grow over time as the world population continues to increase. As a nation, we should be committed to finding the most effective solution for dealing with our municipal solid waste (MSW) in ways that limit and reduce environmental and human impact.

So what should be done with the 280 million tons of waste after recycling? EfW facilities provide communities with a clean source of power generation, minimal disturbance to surrounding neighborhoods, and a safe and effective solution for managing local trash generation.

How much waste does Covanta dispose of in a year?

Last year alone, Covanta-operated facilities converted more than 15 million tons of trash into 8 million megawatt-hours of electricity and 10 billion pounds of steam sold to a variety of industries. The amount of waste we handled would fill a line of garbage trucks stretching from New York City to Los Angeles and back again — then back once more to L.A.

In 2003, the United States produced an estimated 236 million tons of municipal solid waste – the stuff we call garbage. That’s about 4.5 pounds per person per day.

About one third of that waste consisted of packaging and containers. Food, yard waste, and other organic throwaways accounted for another 25%. Newspapers, magazines, and other nondurable goods made up 26% of the total, while durable goods such as kitchen appliances and tires accounted for 17%.

Most of the garbage – approximately 55% -- wound up in landfills. Another 31% was recycled, and just 14% was converted to energy.