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WASTE-TO-ENERGY Case Study

LANCASTER'S INTEGRATED SYSTEM

Learn about one community and how WTE fits into their innovative approach to responsible waste management.

Lancaster County Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility

Lancaster County Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility

Waste As Resource in Lancaster County

Waste As Resource in Lancaster County

Approximately 90% of Lancaster County's municipal solid waste (MSW) is sent to the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy Facility, which combusts the MSW to create renewable energy. The facility makes enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and businesses. The Lancaster WTE Facility also provides steam to neighboring Perdue AgriBusiness. Perdue's soybean processing plant uses 15-20% of the WTE steam for drying and processing operations at its facility. Since the facility is a qualified Tier II renewable resource in PA, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are generated and sold to help support the WTE facility's financial sustainability. The Lancaster WTE Facility is a prime example of how waste can be utilized as a resource to support a more sustainable community.

Approximately 90% of Lancaster County's municipal solid waste (MSW) is sent to the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy Facility, which combusts the MSW to create renewable energy. The facility makes enough electricity to power 25,000 homes and businesses. The Lancaster WTE Facility also provides steam to neighboring Perdue AgriBusiness. Perdue's soybean processing plant uses 15-20% of the WTE steam for drying and processing operations at its facility. Since the facility is a qualified Tier II renewable resource in PA, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are generated and sold to help support the WTE facility's financial sustainability. The Lancaster WTE Facility is a prime example of how waste can be utilized as a resource to support a more sustainable community.

Facility Fast Facts

Opened in 1991

Permitted to process up to 1,200 tons of waste per day

Owned by LCSWMA and operated by Reworld 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 

Has 36-megawatt generation capacity. About 6MW of power is used to power the facility’s internal operations, 5MW equivalent of steam is sent to Perdue Agribusiness for use in their soybean processing, and the remaining 25MW is sent to the wholesale power grid, managed by PJM

The average five-year emissions are well below federal standards

A zero-discharge facility means all wastewater is treated on-site and recycled within the system.

how the system works

LCSWMA manages approximately one million tons of waste annually through its Integrated System. This innovative waste management approach aligns with the EPA's Waste Hierarchy and incorporates public education initiatives, county-wide recycling, and five facilities. LCSWMA's Integrated System can best be described through four key steps:

Step 1: Minimize Waste Volume and Toxicity

LCSWMA educates the community about proper recycling practices in Lancaster County to reduce the risk of contamination from non-recyclable items. This effort allows more curbside recycling to be effectively processed. LCSWMA also provides 24/7 access to free recycling bins at each Lancaster County facility. At the Transfer Station Complex, residents can use LCSWMA's permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility to safely dispose of hazardous waste items free of charge. This initiative helps keep harmful chemicals and electronics out of the waste stream.

Step 1: Minimize Waste Volume and Toxicity

LCSWMA educates the community about proper recycling practices in Lancaster County to reduce the risk of contamination from non-recyclable items. This effort allows more curbside recycling to be effectively processed. LCSWMA also provides 24/7 access to free recycling bins at each Lancaster County facility. At the Transfer Station Complex, residents can use LCSWMA's permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility to safely dispose of hazardous waste items free of charge. This initiative helps keep harmful chemicals and electronics out of the waste stream.

Step 1: Minimize Waste Volume and Toxicity

LCSWMA educates the community about proper recycling practices in Lancaster County to reduce the risk of contamination from non-recyclable items. This effort allows more curbside recycling to be effectively processed. LCSWMA also provides 24/7 access to free recycling bins at each Lancaster County facility. At the Transfer Station Complex, residents can use LCSWMA's permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility to safely dispose of hazardous waste items free of charge. This initiative helps keep harmful chemicals and electronics out of the waste stream.

Step 2: Consolidate and Transfer Waste

Private haulers deliver the remaining waste to LCSWMA's Transfer Station Complex. The waste is sorted, loaded into trailers, and transferred for further processing and disposal. The Transfer Station is a central drop-off point for local trash haulers, handling over 400 truck visits daily. By compacting the loads, the facility sends out only one trailer for every five trucks that enter, significantly reducing local waste traffic and efficiently directing the trash to its next destination.

Step 2: Consolidate and Transfer Waste

Private haulers deliver the remaining waste to LCSWMA's Transfer Station Complex. The waste is sorted, loaded into trailers, and transferred for further processing and disposal. The Transfer Station is a central drop-off point for local trash haulers, handling over 400 truck visits daily. By compacting the loads, the facility sends out only one trailer for every five trucks that enter, significantly reducing local waste traffic and efficiently directing the trash to its next destination.

Step 2: Consolidate and Transfer Waste

Private haulers deliver the remaining waste to LCSWMA's Transfer Station Complex. The waste is sorted, loaded into trailers, and transferred for further processing and disposal. The Transfer Station is a central drop-off point for local trash haulers, handling over 400 truck visits daily. By compacting the loads, the facility sends out only one trailer for every five trucks that enter, significantly reducing local waste traffic and efficiently directing the trash to its next destination.

Step 3: Combust Waste for Volume Reduction and Energy Recovery

Once the trash reaches LCSWMA's Waste-to-Energy Facility, it is pushed onto a tipping floor and into a pit. An operator then uses a grapple to feed the garbage into three boilers, which combust the waste, generate renewable energy, and reduce its volume by 90%. This means that only one truckload of ash leaves the facility for every ten transfer trailers that enter.

Step 3: Combust Waste for Volume Reduction and Energy Recovery

Once the trash reaches LCSWMA's Waste-to-Energy Facility, it is pushed onto a tipping floor and into a pit. An operator then uses a grapple to feed the garbage into three boilers, which combust the waste, generate renewable energy, and reduce its volume by 90%. This means that only one truckload of ash leaves the facility for every ten transfer trailers that enter.

Step 3: Combust Waste for Volume Reduction and Energy Recovery

Once the trash reaches LCSWMA's Waste-to-Energy Facility, it is pushed onto a tipping floor and into a pit. An operator then uses a grapple to feed the garbage into three boilers, which combust the waste, generate renewable energy, and reduce its volume by 90%. This means that only one truckload of ash leaves the facility for every ten transfer trailers that enter.

Step 4: Minimize Landfilling

The ash from combusting the waste is sent to LCSWMA's Frey Farm Landfill, where it is used as daily cover. Thanks to WTE, only a small percentage of municipal solid waste is disposed of in the landfill (~8-10%). This approach increases the lifespan of the landfill and conserves land.

Step 4: Minimize Landfilling

The ash from combusting the waste is sent to LCSWMA's Frey Farm Landfill, where it is used as daily cover. Thanks to WTE, only a small percentage of municipal solid waste is disposed of in the landfill (~8-10%). This approach increases the lifespan of the landfill and conserves land.

Step 4: Minimize Landfilling

The ash from combusting the waste is sent to LCSWMA's Frey Farm Landfill, where it is used as daily cover. Thanks to WTE, only a small percentage of municipal solid waste is disposed of in the landfill (~8-10%). This approach increases the lifespan of the landfill and conserves land.

Confined and controlled burning, known as combustion, can not only decrease the volume of solid waste destined for landfills, but can also recover energy from the waste burning process. This generates an energy source and reduces carbon emissions by offsetting the need for energy from fossil sources and reduces methane generation from landfills.

EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2023). Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)