By Judy Sheahan
December 9, 2002

The MWMA's Waste-to-Energy Committee highlighted the options of turning municipal solid waste into a reliable and renewable source of energy for communities. Technologies highlighted included collecting and converting landfill gas into energy and waste-to-energy facilities. Featured speakers included Sybil Pappas, SCS and Katie Cullen, Vice President for the Integrated Waste Services Association (IWSA).

Both Ms. Cullen and Ms. Pappas discussed the benefits of converting waste into energy and the impediments that hindered additional development. In addition to a lack of investment, the environmental concerns associated with these technologies primarily in the areas of air emissions and recycling rates are a challenge. Other concerns, such as air emissions from waste-to-energy plants, are no longer valid due to a $1 billion investment by the industry into new clean air technologies that reduced the emissions of dioxin by 99 percent, sulfur dioxide by 87 percent, mercury by 95 percent and lead by 91 percent.

To see a copy of both presentations, including IWSA's recycling survey results, please see our website at usmayors.org/mwma.