tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309385158537254711.post2011630780298194009..comments2023-09-26T12:18:39.374+03:00Comments on Boreal Expat: Taking Out The Trash, Finnish StyleKent Tankersleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01848650819768345044noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309385158537254711.post-19551107677179224242015-02-11T02:14:37.704+02:002015-02-11T02:14:37.704+02:00I think one of the reasons it was never used is th...I think one of the reasons it was never used is that it was built across the street from the hospital where my wife works. Why would they build a trash-burning power plant less than 100 yards from a hospital?! I've always suspected it was intentionally created to fail.<br /><br />There was initial talk of prosecuting the councilman, but there was nothing anyone could legally do. He was privy to the sale, realized he had the cash to buy the place, realized that if he resigned then there was no legal conflict of interest, and made sure his ass was covered before he acted. He made the score of a lifetime and flew the coop.<br />James Robert Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17281049641681225389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309385158537254711.post-14266164091320646282015-02-10T14:49:15.491+02:002015-02-10T14:49:15.491+02:00One thing that the owners of the new plant in Vant...One thing that the owners of the new plant in Vantaa emphasized is that it’s not a substitute for recycling. They want to use the trash that people don’t normally recycle. In fact, I’d wager that most folks in Helsinki don’t even know about the new plant, and so keep on recycling just as before. Part of the beauty is that their garbage now goes to generate electricity without them having to do anything different or even being aware of it. <br /><br />That’s a shame about the WtE plant in your county, and such a senseless waste of money. And too bad that the councilman managed to profit from it in that way. <br /><br />Are you talking about the ReVenture Park plant? I was curious about how something like that could happen, so I googled it. One thing that surprised me was how widely it was opposed by local environmental groups. Is that one reason it was never put in use? It makes me wonder if there’s generally opposition in the States to these kind of plants. Or was there something about this particular one that was environmentally unacceptable? Still, if the emissions are within EPA limits, I can’t see why burning trash isn’t better than burying it. Of course, that depends on how much land you have available for burying stuff.Kent Tankersleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01848650819768345044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309385158537254711.post-44274318473116553042015-02-09T16:29:47.207+02:002015-02-09T16:29:47.207+02:00I suppose you’re right that, in a sense, burning p...I suppose you’re right that, in a sense, burning plastics is using just another (though less direct) form of fossil fuels. Still, I would think that using such waste as fuel would offset the amount of oil needed by some reasonable amount. <br /><br />Anyway, the alternative for the plastic waste in this case would be burial in a landfill, and I tend to like the burning option better. Otherwise, when it comes to the need for smarter policies on and carbon taxes and bioplastic, yes, I couldn’t agree more. <br />Kent Tankersleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01848650819768345044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309385158537254711.post-38434068900215429872015-02-09T00:24:51.720+02:002015-02-09T00:24:51.720+02:00We have the curbside recycling here in Matthews, N...We have the curbside recycling here in Matthews, NC. My impression is that it's all used for making new plastics, glass, and paper. Nothing for creating electricity.<br /><br />They did have a trash burning power plant here in the county. It was built at great expense and then never used. The property was purchased by a corrupt city councilman who resigned his seat and then bought the property as soon as he resigned. Thus, he broke no law and could not be prosecuted. The plant itself was dismantled and the property sold for an insane amount of profit.<br /><br />I know of the system you use to warm and cool your home, but I have never seen one in action.<br />James Robert Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17281049641681225389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309385158537254711.post-16066040491049313342015-02-08T19:31:20.825+02:002015-02-08T19:31:20.825+02:00Well, strictly speaking I'm a bit sceptical th...Well, strictly speaking I'm a bit sceptical that burning the energy waste would reduce fossil fuel usage one bit. I would think it rather increases it because those plastics are probably mostly made with oil as the original raw material instead of contemporary biological sources and because plastics have a lower energy content.<br />I wish the EU would pass a roadmap for transitioning to biological sources of plastic. That could have a nice spill-over effect WRT fossil fuels (along with a carbon tax or nullify most of the awarded carbon credits that set the price for carbon so pathetically low).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com