Burning rubbish and waste to produce energy seems to make sense but there is argument amongst experts about whether it is an ideal alternative solution for the mountains of material which presently goes to landfills.
In New Zealand a company called South Island Resource Recovery Ltd is currently applying for a resource consent to build such a waste incinerator. The plant is projected to cost NZ$350 million and would be built on a 15ha site near Glenavy in North Otago (226km south of Christchurch & 135km north of Dunedin).
Emissions from the proposed plant are stated to be 63.5% nitrogen, 21.8% water vapour, 7.5% carbon dioxide and 7.2% oxygen.
֍֍֍
In downtown Copenhagen a waste-to-energy power plant known as CopenHill was opened in 2017.
The wedge-shaped structure features a distinctive facade comprising stacked 1.2-metre-tall x 3.3-metre-wide aluminium blocks. The facility is cleverly designed to provide mixed public recreational facilities for the enjoyment of the citizens of Copenhagen.The building’s facade is climbable (86m), its roof is hikeable (490m) and its slopes (600m / 9000 sq.m.) are dry-skiable. There is a restaurant at the top of the structure and an après-ski bar at the bottom.
The plant is designed to burn 440,000 tons annually (250 – 350 trucks per day). It is claimed to be the cleanest incineration plant in the world. Emmisions are almost solely water vapour.
