EfW Solutions

How do we do it?

At our facilities, non-hazardous municipal and commercial solid waste is combusted in water-cooled furnaces at temperatures greater than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The process reduces the waste to an inert ash that is only about 10% of its original volume. Additionally, all Covanta facilities use advanced air pollution control equipment and monitoring devices, which maintain strict state and federal emission standards. Many of our facilities also have wastewater treatment capabilities that make it unnecessary to discharge processed water into the local sewer system. For more information about a typical Energy-from-Waste facility, please click here.

For every ton of waste processed in an EfW facility, we avoid the need to import nearly 1 barrel of oil or mine a quarter ton of coal. Annually, we process more than 15 million tons of waste, which saves this nation nearly 15 million barrels of oil.

We are proud of our facilities and welcome tours from interested community groups and individuals. Please call your local facility to schedule a visit.

Energy-from-Waste: a proven technology worldwide

Energy-from-Waste facilities process 14% of municipal solid waste in the United States, serving the disposal needs of more than 37 million people and producing enough electricity for 2.8 million homes. In Europe, Energy-from-Waste is more prevalent, and plans to construct new facilities are being prepared, due largely to the European Union's waste management directives aimed at minimizing landfills. In fact, the European Union points to energy recovery from waste as preferable to raw garbage landfills in its hierarchy of preferred waste management options. Similarly, Energy-from-Waste technology is used extensively in Japan and other Asian countries, which rely on modern Energy-from-Waste technology to generate renewable power and reduce the need for landfills. It is estimated that there are more than 600 Energy-from-Waste facilities worldwide.