{"id":919,"date":"2017-12-15T19:14:37","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T19:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/?p=919"},"modified":"2020-05-07T22:00:50","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T22:00:50","slug":"lcswma-waste-to-energy-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/2017\/12\/15\/lcswma-waste-to-energy-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"LCSWMA Waste-to-Energy Facility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lancaster County Produces Energy Through Garbage Through burning trash, electricity is produced for Lancaster homes<\/em><\/p>\n

by Hunter Barrick<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA), partnered with Covanta Energy, gives back to the community through its operation of the Waste-to-Energy Facility.\u00a0 Located in Bainbridge, the facility receives truckloads of trash daily.\u00a0 The trash is then given a new purpose, instead of being discarded and losing its value.\u00a0 With their slogan of \u201cRethink. Recover. Renew.\u201d, the LCSWMA have made it their mission to produce energy through the burning of garbage from all over Lancaster County.<\/p>\n

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Public recycling bins outside the facility<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by Hunter Barrick<\/p>\n

The burning facility, opened in 1991,\u00a0is considered one of the industry\u2019s most efficient energy producers.\u00a0 With the word \u201crethink\u201d, the LCSWMA aim to convince citizens to reconsider what purposes\u00a0garbage might have after its initial purpose.\u00a0 With open minds, people can see trash as a resource rather than refuse.\u00a0 With the term \u201crecover\u201d, resources can be gathered from the proper disposal of the trash, so it can be reused in an eco-friendly way.\u00a0 Recovering materials rather than letting them fester in a landfill is positive for the economy, the community, and the planet.\u00a0 Through this process, we can \u201crenew\u201d the value in the solid matter saved and reused in this garbage.\u00a0 By using garbage to create energy sustainably, the LCSWMA is cutting down drastically on garbage used in a landfill and wasteful energy production methods.\u00a0 \u00a0Using this sustainable waste disposal program, as well as sustainably producing energy and electricity, energy can be created cleanly and efficiently.<\/p>\n

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The exterior of the Waste-to-Energy Facility<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by Hunter Barrick<\/p>\n

With a different perspective and insight, trash is a valuable asset than can be used for compost, recycling, and energy production.\u00a0 After the electricity is produced through burning in the incinerator at the Waste-to-Energy Facility, that electricity is sold back to the electric companies.\u00a0 While the Waste-to-Energy Facility is owned by the LCSWMA, it is operated by Covanta Energy.\u00a0 Along with many other Waste-to-Energy facilities, including one in Harrisburg, Covanta is dedicated to putting natural resources to good use and helping to generate energy.\u00a0 As Covanta themselves put it: \u201cWe ensure no waste is ever wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Further storage for the facility<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by Hunter Barrick<\/p>\n

The LCSWMA estimates that the average American throws away one ton of garbage every year.\u00a0 By rerouting 96% of that garbage from landfills and into the incinerator, the Waste-to-Energy Facility is able to power 1 in 5 homes.\u00a0 In a given year, 950,000 tons of solid waste is sent through LCSWMA\u2019s integrated system.\u00a0 That integrated system has four steps.\u00a0 Step one is minimizing the volume and toxicity of waste.\u00a0 What that means is safe curbside garbage pickup and recycling, as well as drop-off recycling at their facilities.\u00a0 Step two is consolidate and transfer the waste.\u00a0 Trucks deliver the trash to the Transfer Station Complex, where the garbage is separated and loaded into different trucks.\u00a0 Step three is to combust the waste.\u00a0 This is the burning of the garbage, minimizing the volume by 90%. While also creating electricity.\u00a0 Step four is minimal landfilling.\u00a0 The few materials that cannot be reused in some way are sent to the LCSWMA\u2019s environmentally sound landfill.\u00a0 This process ensures that everything that can be reused is.<\/p>\n

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One of many trucks constantly entering the building<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by Hunter Barrick<\/p>\n

Numbers Breakdown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Trash made per person per day<\/td>\n4.4 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Trash made per person per year<\/td>\n2,000 pounds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Homes powered through trash<\/td>\n1\/5 of all Lancaster homes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Disposing of Hazardous Household Waste<\/strong><\/p>\n

For residents looking to dispose of household hazardous waste, the LCSWMA provides a safe way to do that.\u00a0 At the Transfer Station Complex, residents can bring anything that can be dangerous to dispose of in the regular garbage.\u00a0 These include antifreeze, pesticides, paint, and \u00a0 e-waste, such as computers and televisions.\u00a0 Do not dispose of these materials in your normal garbage, as it is dangerous to garbage handlers and the environment.\u00a0 In 2016, over 71,000 people brought household hazardous waste materials to be properly disposed of.\u00a0 We must continue this trend to safely dispose of harmful materials.<\/p>\n

Helpful Tips When Preparing Recyclables<\/strong><\/p>\n

When preparing recyclable materials for recycling, here are some helpful guidelines.\u00a0 Make sure to completely empty glass bottles and wash them out. \u00a0You do not need to remove the labels from this glass.\u00a0 Only glass bottles should be disposed of in normal recycling bins.\u00a0 When recycling plastic, only place plastic bottles, jugs, and jar in the recycling bins.\u00a0 Other plastic objects must be placed in the regular trash.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry though, it will become energy for the community.\u00a0 Newspapers do not need special handling.\u00a0 Place them directly into the recycling bins with other recyclable materials.\u00a0 Never put plastic bags in the recycling bin.\u00a0 They must be reused or returned to your grocer, as some stores offer a bag take-back program.<\/p>\n

After the Fire<\/strong><\/p>\n

What happens after all the trash is burned in the incinerator at the LCSWMA\u2019s Waste-to-Energy Facility?\u00a0 While some items are removed before burning because select few things cannot be reused, the vast majority of items are burned to create electricity.\u00a0 After the items are burned, ash is deposited below the incinerator.\u00a0 That ash is then removed and taken to the LCSWMA\u2019s environmentally sound landfill, known as the Frey Farm Landfill.\u00a0 Along with the small number of items that cannot be reused, the ash is safely deposited in the landfill.\u00a0 At the end of each day, the ash from the other facilities is dumped on top of the other trash in the landfill.<\/p>\n

Harrisburg Incinerator Acquisition<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the City of Harrisburg started talks with the City of Lancaster about selling its Waste-to-Energy Facility, Harrisburg was having some tough financial times.\u00a0 Harrisburg\u2019s facility was too expensive for the city to afford, and it needs to figure out how to recoup some of those losses.\u00a0 Lancaster, on the other hand, has a problem with overcapacity at its facility.\u00a0 Seems like an obvious fix: Lancaster can just buy Harrisburg\u2019s facility.\u00a0 It would benefit both parties, since Lancaster needs more space, and Harrisburg\u2019s facility gets waste from New Jersey.\u00a0 Cutting off the flow of the trash from New Jersey would open up plenty of room for Lancaster to use in the facility.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lcswma.org\/lcswma_community_support.cfm<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lcswma.org\/lcswma_facilities_frey.cfm<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lcswma.org\/lcswma_recycling.cfm<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lcswma.org\/waste-is-a-resource\/<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.covanta.com\/<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.covanta.com\/Our-Facilities\/Covanta-Lancaster<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.waste360.com\/waste-energy-wte\/pennsylvania-s-lancaster-county-completes-harrisburg-waste-energy-unit-buy<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.pennlive.com\/midstate\/index.ssf\/2012\/08\/tale_of_two_incinerators_harri.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lancaster County Produces Energy Through Garbage Through burning trash, electricity is produced for Lancaster homes by Hunter Barrick The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA), partnered with Covanta Energy, gives back to the community through its operation of the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[131,57,93],"class_list":["post-919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educate","tag-energy","tag-lcswma","tag-waste"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5774,"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919\/revisions\/5774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectgreenlancaster.millersville.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}