Understanding the Waste Hierarchy

The waste hierarchy identifies five waste management activities in descending order of preference. The preferred activity is waste reduction; the least desirable is landfill disposal. The European Union and the United States Environmental Protection Agency have each concluded that municipal solid waste, if managed according to the waste hierarchy, can help to maximize energy savings and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

After “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”  we add the fourth "R" to represent the RECOVERY of energy from residual waste, which is preferred over landfill disposal. Using waste as a fuel, Energy-from-Waste (EfW) or Waste-to-Energy (WTE) technology recovers energy from residual waste to generate renewable energy.

Energy-from-Waste is a Net Greenhouse Gas Reducer

Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG), which is mostly emitted from decomposing waste in  U.S. landfills. It has more than 20 times the potency of carbon dioxide and is ranked as a dangerous contributor to climate change. Energy-from-Waste facilities avoid the production of methane while producing almost ten times more electricity from each ton of waste compared to landfills. Each year, Covanta’s EfW facilities reduce GHG emissions by 20 million tons by avoiding methane from landfills, offsetting greenhouse gases from fossil fuel electrical production, and recovering metals for recycling. Further GHG reductions are realized by the avoidance of carbon emissions from long-haul transportation methods used to ship trash to distant landfills. Waste used as fuel in EfW facilities is typically generated in the surrounding area.

Notably, Energy-from-Waste facilities are the only solid waste disposal option with state-of-the-art air pollution control technology, unlike landfills and incinerators which have uncontrolled air pollution. Covanta’s facilities use advanced air pollution control equipment and emissions monitoring systems that operate to comply with strict state and federal emission standards. Our EfW facilities operate 24/7 and on average are in compliance 99.9 percent of the time. Covanta strives for 100 percent.