Waste-to-energy plant

These incinerators endangered the health of the plant workers and the nearby residents, and most of them did not generate electricity.

A modern, properly run waste-to-energy plant sorts material before burning it and can co-exist with recycling.

Sometimes, the residue ash is clean enough to be used for some purposes such as raw materials for use in manufacturing cinder blocks or for road construction.

The typical plant with a capacity of 400 GWh energy production annually costs about 440 million dollars to build.

The National Solid Waste Management Association estimates that the average United States tipping fee for 2002 was $33.70 per ton.

High temperature, efficient combustion, and effective scrubbing and controls can significantly reduce air pollution outputs.

However, advances in emission control designs and very stringent new governmental regulations, as well as public opposition to municipal waste incinerators, have caused large reductions in the amount of dioxins and furans produced by waste-to-energy plants.

In the United States, and perhaps in other countries as well, the law requires that the ash be tested for toxicity before disposal in landfills.

An issue that affects community relationships is the increased road traffic of garbage trucks to transport municipal waste to the waste-to-energy facility.