At 04:25 PM 4/2/2009, you wrote: >Opponents warn that the county would be creating a chronic source of >environmental problems.
Thanks, Jan, for posting this article. Waste to energy plants are a really bad idea. The potential for pollution is extremely likely--pollution of the air, water and soil. No technology can capture all of the effluent--including massive quantities of C02 and other greenhouse gases--from such a plant. Large quantities of cooling water would probably be used. Where would this come from and to where would it be disposed? The ash coming out of the plant would also be contaminated with hazardous materials, especially heavy metals. The "trash" going into the land fill is a valuable resource that could be mined and separated into various commodities or raw materials, probably at a lower cost than making a giant plant to incinerate the same materials. To burn such a valuable resource goes against all common sense. But then large firms like Cassela are in business to make money, not sense. Tom ****************************************** Tom Shelley 118 E. Court St. Ithaca, NY 14850 607 342-0864 [email protected] http://www.myspace.com/99319958 (Just updated 3-31-09.) http://www.facebook.com/129295929#/home.php (Just updated 3-29-09.) Compost Educator and Sustainability Scion* What Does Zero Waste Mean? "If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned, or removed from production." Berkeley Zero Waste Resolution See http://www.cityofberkeley.info/council8/newsletter.pdf *noun: a shoot or bud of a plant, esp. one for planting or grafting _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
