Date: January 17, 2012
Source: Solid Waste Association of North America
Following last week's release of a white paper, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) issued a formal policy that renews its support of waste-to-energy as an important part of an integrated solid waste management system. The policy, which is meant to guide the decision making of communities across the country, establishes that waste-to-energy technology is consistent with the US EPA's current waste management hierarchy and integrated waste management plans that include waste prevention, reduction and recycling programs.
"It is important for the public to understand that waste-to-energy facilities positively impact greenhouse gas emissions on a life cycle basis," stated Division Director Joe Murdoch. "This reflects the significant advances and investments in air pollution control that have been made at these facilities as the technology has evolved and complied with Federal law."
PRESS RELEASE
January 17, 2012
SWANA Issues New Policy on Waste-to-Energy
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has issued a policy that renews SWANA's support of waste-to-energy as an important part of an integrated solid waste management system. SWANA believes that this policy will support the many communities that are considering expanding or building new waste-to-energy facilities.
The policy states that the use of waste-to-energy technology should be consistent with the US EPA's current waste management hierarchy and local government integrated solid waste management plans that include existing and planned waste prevention, waste reduction and recycling programs. The policy then outlines the best practices a community must consider before implementing this technology.
This update is the culmination of the efforts of SWANA's Waste-to-Energy Technical Division, which spearheaded the effort.
"It is important for the public to understand that waste-to-energy facilities positively impact greenhouse gas emissions on a life cycle basis," stated Division Director Joe Murdoch. "This reflects the significant advances and investments in air pollution control that have been made at these facilities as the technology has evolved and complied with Federal law."
The updated policy Waste-to-Energy as Part of Integrated Solid Waste Management was approved by SWANA's International Board of Directors on January 12, 2012. It can be found here.
About SWANA:
For nearly 50 years, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has been the leading professional association in the solid waste management field. SWANA's mission is "to advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound management of municipal solid waste." SWANA serves nearly 8,000 members and thousands more industry professionals with technical conferences, certifications, publications and a large offering of technical training courses. For more information, visit www.swana.org.
For more information, contact:
Shannon Crawford
Manager of Government Affairs
(240) 494-2241
scrawford@swana.org.
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