How Trash is handled at the WASTEC Facility
WASTEC is a "mass burn" combustion facility, meaning that no special preparation is given the waste stream before it's combusted. (Some waste-to-energy facilities use refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which refers to a waste stream from which nonburnables are removed and the resulting fuel is blended for uniform combustion rates). Three boilers are used to produce steam to turn two electrical generators. The facility is capable of burning approximately 140,000 tons of waste per year.
High-tech air pollution control equipment is employed consisting of scrubbers and filter baghouses on each boiler to eliminate acid gases. Also, there are nitrous oxide and mercury controls.
Plant emissions are constantly monitored using a Continuous Emissions Monitoring and Data Acquisition System (or CEMDAS). Monitoring is performed for carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), and opacity (visible smoke).
Combustion results in a volume reduction of garbage of approximately 85%. To illustrate the amount of reduction achieved by WASTEC, for every 100 trucks of trash that dispose of trash at WASTEC, only 15 trucks of ash are carted to the landfill. Since test results show the WASTEC ash to be non-hazardous, ash is used at the Landfill for daily cover and to help build roadways into the disposal area.
WASTEC accepts residential, commercial and institutional trash. Materials that are not accepted for combustion include: tires; lead-acid batteries; building materials such as shingles, gypsum, concrete and brick; hazardous materials; regulated hospital wastes; anti-freeze from automobiles; white goods; and large amounts of aluminum cans. Contracts can be arranged for out-of-county or other special wastes, although test results are sometimes required when appropriate.
Including fees generated through disposal and sales of electricity, WASTEC revenue is approximately $7.5 million annually. Waste-to-energy is a primary means of managing solid waste in the northeastern U.S. Approximately 16% of the nation's waste is managed through incineration and WASTEC is currently the only operating municipal waste-to-energy facility in North Carolina.