Waste to energy plants!?

Question

why aren't there more waste-to-energy plants? They are so much better than regular landfills, and it is not incineration. It is cleaner, smells better, can reduce trash to 10%, and produces energy. WHY AREN'T THERE MORE AROUND?

Answer 1

One reason is that people still don't limit or separate their waste well enough.  We buy disposable but non bio-degradable products and we don't generally go very far out of our way to separate them from the degradable stuff when we're done.  A waste-to-energy plant would quickly become overwhelmed by the insane amount of non biodegradable plastics we use, and the resources (human and technological) that it would take to separate the toxic, plastic, etc. products as necessary makes them less efficient.

I would guess also that it is a tough business-model to run -- you need land, pollution control, technology to harness the energy produced and someone willing to pay you for these services.  Municipalities tend to favor the cheapest solution possible that does not negatively affect the quality of life for their citizens-- which usually means dumping the waste as far away as feasible and paying whoever will take it.

If municipalities and individuals were forced to really deal with their own waste, they would undoubtedly do much better -- for instance, if we had to pay more to dispose of non-biodegradable or toxic (batteries, etc.) trash than other trash, and if we were penalized for errors in separating them, I think people would both limit their use of plastics and would be careful to separate out the less expensive waste from the stuff they had to pay more for.  At that point, something like waste-to-energy plants would be more feasible.

Answer 2

NIMBY. Nobody wants the plant near where they live. People with political clout keep the plants away from them. If you place a plant in a neighborhood of poor people, you get jumped on for doing that. Why don't you buy up all the land around you and place one of those plants next door to your house?