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Waste Management Renewable Energy

Waste Management Renewable Energy

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Governments, and the public are increasingly concerned about the security of supply, About Management the and the As the leading provider of comprehensive and environmental impact of environmental services in , Waste Management serves our energy sources.

municipal, commercial, industrial and residential customers throughout the Waste Management is responding to the demand , Canada and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, for alternatives to fossil the company serves more than 20 million residential and two million fuels through the commercial customers through its network of collection operations, development of waste- based energy from the transfer stations, disposal sites, waste-to-energy plants, waste we all generate. plants, landfill to energy projects and other related services.

Meeting the demand for green energy.

From everyday collection to , Think Green®. Think Waste Management.

Landfill gas from two Waste from Waste Using trash as fuel to generate Management provides a Management’s Ste. Sophie landfill electricity, Wheelabrator’s North reliable and constant energy source north of Montreal, Canada, is Broward waste-to-energy plant in for the Dairyland Power Cooperative replacing 75 percent of the natural Pompano Beach, Florida generates 1001 Fannin, Suite 4000 Houston, Texas 77002 Phone: (713) 512-6200 www.wm.com to power 4,000 homes in the gas used at the nearby Cascades approximately 60 megawatts of communities of Bruce, Wisconsin, mill. The mill’s 10-year energy, enough to power about and Lake Mills, Iowa, each day. contract to use landfill gas as a cost- 35,000 homes. efficient, alternative energy source is credited with keeping the plant in operation after rising fuel costs threatened to shut down the plant. Electric Power to Utility

Turbine Generator

Steam Piped to Condenser Turbine Generator Economizer Refuse Feed Crane Hopper Spray Dryer

Fabric Filter

Enclosed Hydraulic Receiving Area Ram Feeder Induced Stack WASTE MANAGEMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY To Materials Ash Conveyors Draft Fan Refuse Recovery economical and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, produced from the waste we all generate. Fuel Pit System RENEWABLE. RELIABLE. READY. We currently supply landfill gas to more than 100 beneficial-use gas projects in North America, providing the Combustion Grate equivalent of more than 475 megawatts of energy—enough to power more than 400,000 homes as well as saving Materials Recovery Converting Landfill Gas to Energy the equivalent of more than seven million of oil per year. Waste-to-Energy Process Today's modern, engineered landfill is an environmentally sound system for waste disposal that minimizes the Waste Management is unique in the with its in-house expertise and management of the entire impact on the environment. Landfills also offer a clean, renewable energy that is generated continuously “curbside-to-power” renewable energy cycle. In addition to the collection and safe disposal of residential and through the of waste in landfills. This resource is known as landfill gas or . , our renewable energy group provides landfill gas management, power plant A leading waste-to-energy provider in the country, Wheelabrator pioneered the commercial waste-to-energy Waste Management operates the largest network of landfills in our industry. Nearly 300 sites manage the disposal and operation, and energy marketing. We helped pioneer the landfill gas-to-energy and the waste-to- more than 30 years ago. Since then, the company has processed more than 130 million tons of of millions of tons of waste per year, providing us with a vast supply of a natural, renewable energy source: industry, and we continue to aggressively develop new . into energy, saving more than 130 million barrels of oil while generating landfill gas. Most landfills collect landfill gas, a , and burn it in a flare system to destroy it. 70 billion kilowatt hours of clean, renewable electricity. Instead of simply flaring the gas, WM uses this gas in a variety of applications to create green energy. There are Waste To Energy The waste-to-energy process used by Wheelabrator is one of the three basic types of landfill Another way that we are helping to conserve fossil fuels is by converting waste into energy. Waste Management’s cleanest forms of electricity generation. In fact, the EPA has stated gas-to-energy facilities. subsidiary, Wheelabrator Technologies, uses trash as fuel to generate electrical power through its that waste-to-energy plants, like those operated by Wheelabrator, We currently supply landfill gas 17 waste-to-energy plants, which have the capacity to process more than 24,300 tons of waste per day. Electricity: Landfill gas is used as a fuel to generate electricity at small produce electricity “with less environmental impact than almost any to more than 100 beneficial-use These 17 plants have a combined generating capacity of 686 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to power power plants at the landfills, or at a nearby industry, with the generated other source of electricity.” And, studies conducted in conjunction gas projects in North America, more than 700,000 homes. Waste-to-energy plants can also provide steam to municipal heating systems electricity delivered to a utility company. with the EPA have demonstrated that waste-to-energy plants prevent providing the equivalent of or nearby industrial facilities. Converting trash to energy reduces the volume of the waste by 90 percent, the release of millions of tons of greenhouse . : Landfill gas is piped to an industrial or commercial more than 475 megawatts of saving valuable space in landfills while providing a viable and economical alternative to the use of fossil fuels. facility where it is used for heating, in place of or in combination with fossil energy—enough to power more More than ever, public utilities, communities and industries are fuels such as oil, coal or . than 400,000 homes as well as actively seeking to make renewable energy a part of their energy saving the equivalent of nearly supply. Waste Management's renewable energy group is a vital and Processed Gas: Landfill gas is processed and cleaned to natural gas Landfill Gas-to-Energy Process seven million barrels of oil important part of North America's drive to develop alternative quality and delivered to transmission pipelines, to be used in the normal per year. energy sources and promote environmental sustainability. applications for natural gas. 2 1 Much of this waste, including , The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has endorsed landfill gas as The cycle begins with the collection of paper and , is organic in residential and commercial waste. . Anaerobic bacteria digest an environmentally friendly energy resource that reduces our reliance on fossil fuels like coal and oil. Like wind The waste is then transported to Waste this organic waste and produce When you think renewable energy, Together, Waste Management’s and , landfill gas is a that can be harnessed to produce green energy and has many Management landfills for permanent disposal. methane gas and as Think Green®. Think Waste Management. natural byproducts. landfill gas projects and benefits and advantages compared to fossil fuels and alternative energy sources. 6 waste-to-energy projects To complete the cycle, the electricity is • Use of landfill gas as fuel reduces ; delivered via utility transmission lines to produce enough electricity residential and commercial customers. • Energy output is constant and not dependent on sun, wind or other environmental variables; 3 to power one million homes, • Provides a predictable, renewable energy source during energy demand peak hours; saving the equivalent of more The methane gas is recovered via a • Fuel prices are stable; 5 series of wells drilled into the than 14 million barrels of oil • Energy availability exceeds 95 percent. The gas is piped to an electricity landfill. These wells are connected per year. generating plant where it is used by a common pipe system that Waste Management has a dedicated renewable energy group with experience gained from three decades of as fuel to turn engines or collects the gas and it to a nearby compression facility. developing clean, renewable waste-based energy . This group works closely with businesses, industries turbines to generate electricity. 4 Landfill gas may also be piped At the compression facility, and public utilities to develop beneficial-use projects, from landfill gas to waste-to-energy, providing an offsite to industrial customers for the landfill gas is de-watered, use as an alternative fuel source. filtered and pressurized.

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