Disadvantage of building an energy producing waste burning disposal Essay

Disadvantage of building an energy producing waste burning disposal plant in washington DC - Essay Example However, according to Curlee et al. (1994), WTE facilities have encountered questions about reliability and safety. These contradicting arguments are the main theme of this essay. This will examine the disadvantages of waste-to-energy facilities and if it is suitable to use in Washington D.C. The trouble is environmental degradation. It is said that the emissions from waste to energy plants can potentially expound the problem on air pollution. Furans, dioxins and other carcinogenic compounds are the main waste products of this type of process (Curlee et al., 1994). Gas emissions and metal particles which blend to the environment would lead to environmental imbalance. Furthermore, WTE plants use water for â€Å"boilers and in cooling.† The water, if discharged, can also harm aquatic life and makes its way to the food chain. This is alarming since both health and environment would be at risk. Cost-efficiency is also a problem wherein the maximized utilization of this process is only for steam and electricity and would be less operational for other needs (Recovered Energy, n.d.). It does not also make use of all types of wastes; thus sorting out would be a hassle. Another thing is the cost of the facilities. It has been reported that â€Å"60 megawatts of electricit y from about 2,250 tons of trash daily would cost about $350 million† (Combs, n.d.); too expensive for waste management process. A study by Lux Research Inc. (n.d.) stated the major challenges of the technology would include lack of versatility and waste-gas clean up. Many WTE technologies were â€Å"designed to handle one or few types of wastes.† Such technology needs exact sorting of all waste materials which is a hard thing to do, since determining the components of waste materials would require time and effort. Washington D.C. is a highly progressive district. The place has a lot of business establishments and consequently has a growing number of populations. Having WTE facilities