Energy-from-Waste

Why Energy from Waste?
Solid waste represents both a problem and an opportunity. The problem is that the vast majority of solid waste is deposited in landfills, where it contributes to environmental harm in a variety of ways. The opportunity is that solid waste is an untapped resource in our efforts to become energy independent in an environmentally responsible manner.

Business as Usual…

Landfills are concentrations of organic and inorganic matter. Over time, this matter is attacked by microbes in the soil, and methane is released. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, and is second only to carbon dioxide in its impacts on climate change. Although landfills take steps to prevent its release into the atmosphere, it is impossible to capture more than 50%. In addition, other toxic substances are being released into the air and leached into the groundwater, having a devastating effect on the environmental for centuries to come.

A Different Approach…

The waste stream contains many different materials, from paper, wood, and other organic matter to metals, glass and plastic. Much of what is discarded can be recycled or reused, saving water, raw materials and energy. That which can’t be recycled as products can be recycled as energy, through Energy-from-Waste (EFW). The most advanced, State of the Art form of EfW is Advanced Thermal Recycling (ATR) which not only recovers energy but over 98% of the input waste in form commercial grade materials closing the sustainable loop and making the goal of Zero Waste a reality.

An Obvious Conclusion…

From an environmental and an energy perspective, landfilling waste makes no sense. To protect the environment, for ourselves, our children and future generations to come, and to work toward energy independence, society should begin closing the sustainable cycle and reach the realistic goal of Zero Waste by making ATR part of the solution.

Morning ambiance at GCS’s Model facility in Hamburg, Germany