Resource Recovery:
Minnesota’s Waste-to-Energy Facilities
A Rational Tool for a Green Future
- A responsible solid waste management strategy is critical to Minnesota achieving 15% reduction in green house gas (GHG) emissions by 2015.
- Per capita MSW generation in Minnesota was 1,254 lbs. in 2005 and is projected to increase to 1,747 lbs. by 2015.
- Waste-to-Energy (WTE) processing of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is an environmentally sensible approach for curbing the effects of this added waste on greenhouse gas emissions.
- MSW that is incinerated produces energy from a renewable source, offsetting emissions from a fossil-fuel power plant and avoids the release of methane (CH4) from landfills, a 21 times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.
- USEPA data concludesthat MSW landfills, even with active landfill gas-to-energy systems in place, are net emitters of GHG while waste to energy facilities are net reducers of GHG.
- USEPA data shows that for every ton of MSW managed at a waste to energy facility instead of being disposed in an MSW landfill, a net emissions reduction of 0.15 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE) is realized.
- Landfill gas capture produces only 20 kWh of electricity per ton of waste as compared to the 520 kWh of electricity per ton of waste produced by WTE.
- The U.S. Department of Energy recognizes waste-to-energy as a renewable energy source and includes it in their tracking of progress toward achieving the Federal Government’s renewable energy goal, established by Executive Order 13123.
- Minnesota State law prefers incineration of waste over disposing in a landfill with methane capture technologies.
- EPA has weighed in: “The net GHG emissions from incineration of mixed MSW are lower than landfilling mixed MSW (under national average conditions for landfill gas recovery).”
MPCA; Sig Scheurle, State Disposal Trends Draft
EPA; http://www.epa.gov/methane/scientific.html
EPA; Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (Exhibit 8-7)
EPA; Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (ES-15)
Covanta Energy Corporation; Jeffrey L. Hahn letter to California Air Resources Board
Integrated Waste Services Association: http://www.wte.org/docs/FactSheetRenew.pdf
EPA; Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks (ES-13)