Waste-to-Energy and Recycling

Waste-to-Energy and Recycling

Over the past 30 years, communities across the nation have turned to source reduction, recycling, and waste-to-energy to manage their municipal solid waste. According to a 2003 report, during that time, the percentage of trash that is recycled has grown from ten percent to a national average of 28 percent and the amount of trash that is managed in waste-to-energy plants has grown from nine to 13 percent.

At the local level, communities that have built waste-to-energy plants have an average recycling rate of more than 33 percent-18 percent higher than the national average. In fact, many of the most successful recycling programs in the country are located in communities served by a waste-to-energy facility.

In addition, waste-to-energy facilities annually recycle more than 700,000 tons of ferrous metals and another 450,000 tons of glass, metals, paper, plastics, yard waste, and other reusable materials.

The article,  A Compatibility Study: Recycling and Waste-to-Energy Work in Concert, IWSA 2008 provides additional information on this subject.