Waste to energy technologies have matured over the last 20 years, with many "green" or clean options available. Depending on your plant's location and the amount of waste your company produces, your waste to energy cost may be significantly less than your disposal cost. If that's so, build your own waste to energy plant, or buy a turn-key operation from any of several energy from waste plant manufacturers.

Most waste to energy facilities are similar to coal-fired power plants. The waste to energy plant burns fuel, garbage or manufacturing waste in this case, making heat to turn water into steam, which then moves the blades of a turbine generator to produce electricity. Use that energy to run your primary business, and sell the excess energy to a local utility.

To deal with your company's waste, taking into consideration both the amount and types of waste you generate, you have several options:

1. Buy a turn-key plant from a waste to energy service.

2. Hire a contractor to build a facility that's specific to your needs.

3. Sell your waste to a waste to energy business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider your options for buying a turn-key plant

When you're ready to buy or build a waste to energy facility for your company, look for investors for your waste to energy financing. Prepare a business plan that shows the profitability of your proposal and suggests some turn-key energy from waste plant manufacturers.

I recommend: Go to Global Spec, Inc. for more than 800 energy financing companies. Thomas Publishing Company also provides information on project financing. Find turn-key operations from Environmental Expert S.L. and A-TEC Industries AG.

Find the best waste to energy technologies for your business's needs

If your company's waste includes more than one type, sort and process each type separately. Choose the best systems for your wastes. There are a number of contractors offering a variety of processes, with a variety of costs.

I recommend: Go to Polymer Energy, LLC, one of the best suppliers if your waste is primarily plastic. They specialize in pyrolysis waste to energy. Contact Splainex Ecosystems Ltd. for information on their systems for waste to energy, biomass to energy and recycling wastes that can't be incinerated. They offer their services as consultants, contractors or turn-key providers.

Choose a waste to energy service to take your waste

There are more than 80 waste to energy facilities in the United States. Although many are dedicated to municipal landfills, there are others that will take your manufacturing waste and either turn it into energy or do the sorting, recycling and processing for you.

I recommend: Go to Veolia Environmental Services North America, one of the largest and best waste to energy and recycling services in the country. Covanta Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of Covanta Holding Corporation, is another highly-rated waste to energy and waste management provider.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The EPA routinely tests ash from waste to energy plants for contaminants. They may consider your ash a hazardous waste. Before you make a final decision to process your waste for energy, make sure you know what the ash will contain. The cost of disposing of contaminated ash can be higher than the cost of disposing all your company's waste in a landfill.