Waste Incinerator

Yes, I've been remiss in my updates, as I was reminded multiple times this past weekend. With the exception of our biweekly field trips, though, all I do is sit in class, which is hardly exciting enough to write about.

A week ago, we went to the Montgomery County waste incinerator, which was rather enlightening. Recycling is compulsory here (although it's only enforced at the business level; the trash police aren't going to be going to individual houses for throwing away paper), and everything else going to the waste processing center, where big things that don't belong (ie, refrigerators, car engines, that sort of stuff) are removed, and everything else is compacted to fit into cargo containers, which are transported via train to Dickerson, MD, where the incinerator is. About 1800 tons of trash is burned in very hot furnaces (reaches >2000 degrees), which makes steam to turn turbines and makes electricity. The fumes are treated before being released, so very, very small amounts of difurans (the carcinogenic compounds that people are always crying about) are released; you get more exposure by grilling a steak than you do with one year's of emission's from the incinerator. In all, burning trash produces one ton fewer greenhouse gases a year than putting trash in a landfill--landfills produce methane, and by making electricity from trash, that's that much less coal that has to be burned.

Anyway, for those of you who have seen Toy Story 3, here's a picture of the real-life claw:

After the trash visits the claw, it goes up a conveyer belt of sorts, with gradually increasing temperature, starting at about 200 and getting above 2000 by the time it hits the furnace.

Here's a picture of my classmates looking into the furnace (yes, we were watching trash burn):

And here's Raul, pretending to be cool:

So, in summary, all trash in Montgomery County is either recycled or incinerated and turned into electricity, thus reducing all garbage to a layer of ash (which is shipped to another county to be used as a top cover for their landfill). So, there's no need to feel any guilt about producing trash in this county, because it's all put to good use!