Opened in 1988, ecomaine’s Waste-to-Energy plant has been turning unrecyclable waste into renewable energy for more than 35 years. Two boilers operate around-the-clock, incinerating waste at over 2,000 degrees and using steam to generate electricity – all from the waste from Maine communities. The facility processes about 175,000 tons of trash a year, creating about 100,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually. That’s enough electricity to power our own waste-to-energy and recycling facilities, ecomaine’s electric vehicles, plus about 15,000 homes for a year!
Extensive study of waste-to-energy reveals many benefits of this technology. One of the largest: it reduces the volume of trash by 90%. This drastic reduction of the volume of waste extends the life of landfills by up to a factor of 10. An extensive system of pollution controls and environmental monitoring ensure that our emissions are safe for the community and the environment.
Using the Waste-to-Energy Facility
ecomaine’s Waste-to-Energy facility is primarily used for commercial or municipal waste haulers – professional trash collectors. We do accept trucks with residential waste for disposal, with fees based on a gate minimum and tonnage (with some items charged an additional special disposal fee – contact us for current pricing). Before bringing household waste to ecomaine, we recommend checking with your local transfer station or public works department for local disposal options; and then carefully reviewing our list of unacceptable materials and our safety guidelines for the tipping hall before proceeding to ecomaine.
How Waste-to-Energy Works
