10. Trashing the Climate
Zero Waste
Municipal Waste Dump or Landfill
Photo by Gigie Cruz Photo by Gigie Cruz Sanitary Landfill with Landfill Gas
Collection System under Construction
15. Incinerators and climate: CO2
Pounds of CO2 per MWh
3500
3000
Zero Waste
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Incinerator Coal Oil fired Natural gas
fired
SOURCE: US EPA, 2007
18. India: Recyclers are the Real
Climate Heroes
Zero Waste
Source: Cooling Agents, Chintan 2009
19. Costs
Karlsruhe, Germany:
lost €400,000,000 in 4 years
Zero Waste
Frederick County, Maryland, USA:
Proposed incinerator would cost
US$615,000,000
US Energy Information Administration:
it costs more to generate energy from
waste than from coal, nuclear, or
hydropower projects.
20. Comparing capital costs of
recycling and incineration
Recycling/Composting: Less Cost per
Industrialized Nations ton/day
Philippines, recycling collection and $5,000
composting Zero Waste
India, recycling collection and composting $1,650
Egypt, recycling micro-enterprises $450
Brazil, recycling cooperatives $5,300
Recycling: Industrialized Nations
Typical U.S. recycling facility $30,000
Incineration $136,000-
270,000
Recycling costs based on existing projects. Incineration costs based on World Bank
estimates. Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance report, 2004.
21. Zero Waste for Zero Warming:
Solutions for a Finite Planet
Zero Waste
22. Reduction in GHG Emissions:
Massachusetts
Emissions Reduction
Recycle/Compost
Zero Waste
Landfill with gas
recovery
Incineration
0 500 1000 1500 2000
kg CO2e per ton of waste
Source: Assessment of Materials Management Options for the Massachusetts Solid Waste Master Plan Review, Tellus Institute December 2008.
24. Energy Saved or Recovered
In Million BTUs/ton of material
80
70
60
50
Zero Waste Reducing
40 Recycling
30
Incineration with
20 energy recovery
10
0
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