Waste-to-energy plants could solve most of the world's problems.

What if I told you I could kill three birds with one stone? 1. Global piling garbage, 2. Climate Change, and 3. Energy production? Would you take steps with me to handle these problems all at once? I think I know a solution.

A waste-to-energy plant is exactly what it sounds like. It converts waste, or garbage, into energy. Let’s dive into it.

What’s so bad about sending all of our trash to a landfill? Why reinvent the wheel?

Landfills stink. Literally.

Here are some reasons why sending trash to landfills isn’t the greatest idea.

1. Climate change: Landfills release greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. Methane is 84 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. This makes it a major contributor to climate change. Landfills may produce around 10% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

2. Nearby ecosystems: Landfills pollute and destroy nearby lakes, rivers, groundwater, natural habitats, and soil. This harms aquatic life and makes the water unsafe to drink. (not the fishes!)

3. Human illness: Landfills can make people sick. The gases from landfills can cause respiratory and skin irritation for people nearby. There is about a 12% risk of birth defects for children born near landfills.

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4. Property: Landfills reduce property values. Having a landfill near a home can reduce the value of the land by up to 12.9%.

So - if landfills are so bad, what can we do differently?

Enter - waste-to-energy. 

Is it better than sending my trash to a landfill?

Maybe. Here are some of the benefits of waste-to-energy plants.

1. Utilizing space: Waste-to-energy reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills by up to 95%. Landfills take up a lot of space, about 600 acres per landfill. Down the road, they will fill up and need to close down. Waste-to-energy plants can turn that trash into electricity instead of burying it.

2. Energy generation: Waste-to-energy plants generate electricity from the trash, which is a renewable energy source. This electricity can power homes and businesses, reducing the need for fossil fuels.

3. Emissions: Waste-to-energy plants produce less greenhouse gases than landfills.

4. Reuse, recycle: Engineers at waste-to-energy plants can recover metals from the trash and recycle them. This keeps the materials in use instead of burying them in a landfill.

This makes it a more environmentally-friendly way to deal with our trash.

If this is so great, why isn’t all of our trash sent to waste-to-energy plants?

1. Money. Waste-to-energy plants cost much more than landfills.

2. Potential pollution: Waste-to-energy might have more pollution safeguards than landfills in place. But like anything else, things could still go wrong.

Thinking of waste as a resource is much better for our global economy and our environment.

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