Rather than the first step in their solid waste disposal process, the SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility is the final step in our Communities’ and customers’ recycling programs. At SEMASS and its associated satellite facilities, “resource recovery” is demonstrated every day as we augment our communities’ efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Resource recovery includes the following:

• Metals Reclamation and Recycling
  In a typical year, the SEMASS RRF recovers nearly 50,000 tons of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The benefits of recovering recycled metals are clear when one contrasts the environmental impacts, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions that occur if metal has to be mined from new ore, separated, processed and refined. This generates substantial ecological, air, and water impacts.
  
• Water Reuse and Conservation.
  The SEMASS RRF utilizes and reuses stormwater from the facility, industrial wastewater, and landfill leachate from CMW Landfill and other landfills to meet approximately 29 percent of its annual water needs. This conserves approximately 40 million gallons per year of high quality groundwater resources in the area of the plant for use by our neighboring cranberry growers and residential and commercial users. Due to the extensive air pollution and environmental controls in place at the facility, there are no increased impacts to human health or the environment by recycling these “grey” waters.
  
• Propane Tank Reclamation and Recycling.
  SEMASS augments our communities’ efforts to reclaim and properly recycle propane tanks. These devices can potentially cause fires and harm to waste handlers, haulers, our workers and employees, and our facilities. In the 10-year period from 1997-2006, SEMASS recycled nearly 100,000 propane tanks. Increased use of industry “take backs” should reduce the burden of handling and recycling propane tanks on our communities and SEMASS.
  
• Waste Ban Zero Tolerance Items.
  SEMASS and our satellite facilities act as the final “safety net” to recover and recycle zero tolerance, Massachusetts “waste-banned” items such as lead-acid batteries, white goods (washers, dryers, water heaters), and cathode ray tube appliances (CRTs) that our customers may have missed.
  
• Beneficial Ash Reuse.
  Each year, SEMASS creates thousands of tons of processed bottom ash (PBA) which can be beneficially reused at selected municipal solid waste landfills throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of landfill closures. Some of these uses include: grading and shaping material and/or gas venting material prior to final capping. This conserves valuable natural resources such as gravel and sand for use in other applications such as road construction and maintenance, and general residential and commercial development.
  
• Mercury Products Identification, Reclamation & Recycling.
  As described previously, SEMASS and our communities and customers identify, divert and properly recycle and reclaim thousands of mercury-containing products each year thereby reducing impacts to solid waste, human health and the environment.
  
• Renewable Energy Generation with Minimal Greenhouse Gas Impacts.
  After recovery and reclamation of valuable materials, the remaining solid waste stream is shredded and combusted to generate steam and clean renewable power with minimal greenhouse gas impacts.