JUST GOING TO THE STORE OR RUNNING THE KIDS TO PRACTICE
HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE THINKING OF GASOLINE PRICES.
WITH ENERGY COSTS NEAR RECORD HIGHS,
A SMALL COUNTY IN WESTERN WISCONSIN
IS DOING WHAT IT CAN TO HELP ITS RESIDENTS.
25 YEARS AGO AFTER THE LAST MAJOR ENERGY CRISIS,
BARREN COUNTY DECIDED TO TURN ITS TRASH INTO ENERGY.
"IN WISCONSIN" REPORTER, ADAM SCHRAGER,
SHOWS YOU HOW THEY ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY
POWERING THE COMMUNITY AND TRYING TO SAVE EARTH.
(truck roars)
- EVERY TUESDAY MORNING...
- THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT.
- ...HOMEOWNERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF BARRON...
...PUT OUT THEIR TRASH
JUST LIKE MILLIONS OF OTHERS STATEWIDE.
- WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVE.
- BUT WHERE IT GOES IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER PLACE IN WISCONSIN.
- "UNIQUE" IS A WORD THAT IS OFTEN OVERUSED.
BUT THIS FACILITY, IN A LOT OF WAYS, IS UNIQUE.
- BARREN'S COUNTY TRASH FACILITY...
- IT'S A MASSIVE BURNER.
...LEADS TO 450 DEGREES SEPARATION
FROM THE WORST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT FOR GARBAGE.
- DO YOU WANT TO SIT IN THE LANDFILL FOREVER?
- AL ZELTNER RUNS THE PLANT.
- THIS FACILITY WAS BUILT IN 1986.
BASICALLY BEEN IN OPERATION FOR 25 YEARS.
- THE ASH TAKES ABOUT 10% OF THE SPACE
THE TRASH WOULD REQUIRE IN THE LANDFILL.
- ALL OF THIS WASTE WOULD NORMALLY GET BURIED IN THE GROUND.
- AT THE BARREN PLANT, RECYCLING MATERIAL IS SEPARATED
WHEN IT COMES IN.
- ANYTHING AND EVERYTHINGS THAT PEOPLE THROW OUT WINDS UP COMING HERE.
- AND THEN A MAGNET MAKES SURE METAL DOESN'T GET INTO THE ASH.
- THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY.
- A LOT OF MONEY IN RECYCLING, FOR SURE.
BUT NOT WHERE BARREN COUNTY'S BIGGEST SAVINGS ARE COMING FROM
AS IT BURNS ITS TRASH.
- WE TAKE EVERYTHING THAT'S LEFT OVER
AND MAKE ELECTRICITY OUT OF IT, BASICALLY.
- IT IS TECHNICALLY CALLED A WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT.
- THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF A WASTE TO ENERGY FACILITY,
IT'S ONE OF THE CLEANEST FORMS OF ELECTRICITY THERE IS.
- THE STEAM ENERGY GENERATED FROM THE BURNING
GOES BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY.
- THAT ELECTRICITY THAT WE'RE NOT USING IN-HOUSE
SIMPLY GOES OUT ONTO THE ELECTRICAL LINES
AND IS USED AT THE FIRST AVAILABLE ENERGY USER
WHETHER THAT'S THE CHEESE PLANT ACROSS THE STREET
OR A HOUSE UP THE ROAD.
- WHERE YOU SEE NEGATIVE KILOWATTS
SENDING ENERGY OUT TO THE GRID,
BARREN COUNTY SEES POSITIVE RESUTS
AS ENERGY PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE.
- SO, ANYONE SAYS IT'S ALWAYS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN LANDFILLING,
THAT WOULD NOT BE TRUE.
- THE PLANT'S KEEPING DUMPING FEES
ON AVERAGE EQUAL TO LANDFILL'S.
AND MAYBE EVEN MORE TIMELY, IT'S CREATING POWER FOR ROUGHLY
HALF OF THE PRICE ITS NEIGHBORS ARE TYPICALLY PAYING.
- THE POSSIBILITY IS THERE FOR US TO HAVE HUGE BENEFITS
IN BARREN COUNTY BECAUSE OF THIS PROJECT.
- IN FACT, THE COUNTY JUST SPENT $3 MILLION
TO UPGRADE THE PLANT AND MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT.
- WE HAD EXCESS ENERGY THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO USE.
WE WERE SELLING AS MUCH AS WE COULD.
SO, WE HAS THIS EXCESS ENERGY THAT WAS SITTING THERE,
WITH BASICALLY NO USE.
SO WE'VE TAKEN THAT AND TURNED IT INTO ELECTRICITY.
- THE TECHNOLOGY HAS GOTTEN BETTER,
SPECIFICALLY IN CONTAINING EMISSIONS,
SINCE BARREN COUNTY BEGAN THIS PROJECT
AFTER THE LAST ENERGY CRISIS.
- IT WORKED HERE, AND I THINK IT CAN WORK OTHER PLACES.
- THE REALITY, ZELTNER SAYS, IS THAT
THE ALTERNATE IS FAR LESS APPEALING.
- THE VAST MATERIAL OUT THERE IS NOT PRACTICAL TO RECYCLE,
SO YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT.
YOU HAVE TO EITHER PUT IT IN A LANDFILL
OR YOU HAVE TO CONVERT IT INTO ENERGY.
- BARREN COUNTY HAS CHOSEN TO DO THE LATTER,
A CHOICE DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN WISCONSIN.
- THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO HANDLE TRASH
AND THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO MAKE ELECTRICITY.
AND WITH A WASTE TO ENERGY FACILITY,
YOU TAKE CARE OF BOTH ISSUES.
YOU CAN-- IT CAN BE DONE
IN A VERY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY.
- THE FRENCH ISLAND PLANT IN LA CROSSE
IS THE ONLY OTHER FACILITY IN WISCONSIN TO BURN GARBAGE.
BUT THAT TREATS PROCESSED WASTE,
NOT THE RAW MATERIAL BURNED IN BARRON COUNTY.