The U.S. Department of Energy
Energy Information Administration
2006
“There are 103 waste-to-energy plants in the United States. Plus, there are another 26 old-style solid waste incinerators. These old-style incinerators simply burn trash to get rid of it. They do not use the heat energy to make steam or electricity. Today, the U.S. burns 15 percent of its solid waste—14 percent in waste-to-energy plants and one percent in old-style incinerators.”
“Waste-to-energy plants generate enough electricity to supply 2.4 million households.”
“The average American throws away 4.4 pounds of trash every day.”
- This plentiful source of energy includes recyclable materials such as metal, glass and plastic as well as organic waste. Recycling steel and aluminum pays for itself because it is so expensive to mine and refine.
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Plastics, made from petroleum and natural gas, are cheaper to burn than to recycle and they produce energy when burned.
- Organic trash can be burned to produce steam to generate electricity or heat for industries and homes.
- Burning this waste reduces the need for landfills.