From Waste to Electricity

Reworld TTFs that use WTE technology employ advanced air pollution control systems that meet or exceed all EPA and state emissions standards. Continuous emissions monitoring ensures real-time compliance. Modern TTFs produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per ton of waste than landfills, which release uncontrolled methane for decades. Stack testing data is publicly available and regularly reported to regulators.

Waste-to-energy (WTE) is a proven technology that combusts non-recyclable waste at high temperatures to generate electricity and steam. Reworld thermomechanical treatment facilities operate above 2,000°F, producing steam that drives turbines connected to electrical generators. The electricity feeds local power grids. Metals are recovered from the ash for recycling. The remaining ash is processed for beneficial reuse. It's the next-best environmental outcome after recycling.

No. WTE complements recycling. We process what recycling can't handle—the non-recyclable fraction. Communities with TTFs using WTE technology maintain recycling rates at or above national average.

Following the waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, recycle, then recover energy. We're the recovery step.

Yes. Most U.S. states recognize WTE as renewable energy. The organic materials in waste—food, paper, yard waste—count as biomass. And unlike solar and wind, WTE generates power 24/7.

Landfills store waste indefinitely, producing methane (a potent greenhouse gas) for decades. WTE converts the same waste into electricity in hours. EPA's waste management hierarchy ranks WTE above landfilling. WTE reduces waste volume by approximately 90%, recovers metals for recycling, and eliminates the long-term environmental liabilities of landfill leachate and methane emissions.