Waste-to-Energy is the key for a cleaner, brighter tomorrow

Have you ever stopped to think about what happens to your trash after it leaves the curb? Through LCSWMA’s Think About It campaign, they’re encouraging our community to consider the journey of waste—and how Lancaster County turns it into something valuable through waste-to-energy (WTE).

At the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy Facility, everyday trash becomes a powerful resource. After recyclables and hazardous materials are removed, the remaining waste is combusted at high temperatures to create steam, which powers a turbine and generates electricity. This process can generate enough energy to power over 25,000 homes and businesses—and provides steam to Perdue AgriBusiness, reducing the need for fossil fuels.

But the benefits don’t stop there. WTE reduces landfill volume by 90%, cuts harmful methane emissions, and allows for the recovery of thousands of tons of metal each year. Without this process, Lancaster County would have needed two additional landfills by now. LCSWMA’s system is a model of environmental stewardship, innovation, and sustainability. It’s more than just trash—it’s a resource.

• Land Benefits: Without WTE, the original Frey Farm Landfill capacity would have been full in 2002. With WTE and Vertical Expansion, they’re able to increase the capacity by more than 30 years.
• Water Benefits: The Lancaster WTE Facility uses wastewater from the Elizabethtown Wastewater Treatment Plant and upgrades it onsite for its boilers and process water needs. They beneficially treat and use it in a closed-loop, zero-discharge system to create renewable energy from our community’s waste.
• Metal Benefits: The Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facilities in Lancaster and Harrisburg recover more than 14,000 tons of ferrous and non-ferrous metals each year for recycling, resulting in numerous environmental benefits.
• Electric Benefits: Waste-to-Energy helps bolster electric grid reliability in our community by providing 24/7 baseload renewable power to the local grid.
• GHG Benefits: For every 1 ton of waste processed via WTE, 2.4 tons of greenhouse gas emissions are reduced compared to landfilling.

To learn more about the benefits of Waste-to-Energy, visit lcswma.org.

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