Letter to the Editor: Trash - the Next Renewable Energy Source?

To the editor:

With the momentum of Earth Day and the arrival of spring, our thoughts turn to small ways that we can help the environment. Fill our recycling bin; turn off lights when leaving a room; set the air conditioning thermostat a few degrees higher, take out the trash…. take out the trash? Yes, that’s right. For better or worse, trash, an inevitable byproduct of human civilization, could potentially join wind, solar, and hydro power as a renewable energy source.

Consider this: Alexandria transports its trash to the Covanta Energy-from-Waste facility (5301 Eisenhower Ave.), which generates electricity. The average Alexandria household disposes of 46 pounds of trash each week, generating enough kilowatts of energy to drive 38 miles around town in an electric vehicle. Given that the City collects trash from 17,000 homes a week, a tireless traveler could drive the electric car around the Earth 25 times a week! That’s the idea that fueled a partnership between the City’s recycling program and the Covanta Energy-from-Waste facility. Covanta Energy has provided a 100 percent electric car, a Nissan Leaf, to the City to promote the benefits of using trash to power electric cars. 

Does this innovation mean that we’re wasting our time following the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle)?  Should we just fill up our trashcans and go on with our everyday lives?  No, not at all! The natural resources we save by recycling are worth more than the electricity that can be created. And of course, consuming nothing saves resources and eliminates pollution, too.

Remember, every action counts…that includes making smart purchasing decisions that are good for us and the environment; donating unwanted items to charity for reuse; and recycling our paper, bottles, and cans. Then, and only then, can we put out the trash knowing that we’ve done everything we can to preserve the natural resources and environmental sustainability of our Eco-City, Alexandria!

Michael Clem 
Department of Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES)