Waste-To-Energy Revenues To Near $3 Billion By 2001

WORLD WASTES STAFF

Despite the temptation of low tipping fees, waste-to-energy (WTE) revenues are finally in an upswing.

United States waste-to-energy plant revenues which will grow from $2.14 billion in 1994 to $2.94 billion by 2001, according to a recent study released by Frost & Sullivan, a high-technology research report publisher.

The increase will come at a 5 percent compound annual rate and through increasing municipal solid waste capacity will create opportunities for capital investment.

Mass burn will account for the largest growth because it is the safest and simplest approach and also the most widely accepted meth-od, the study said.

As higher quality raw material becomes available from recycling and materials recovery, refuse derived fuel-fired plants also will grow rapidly. This method will prosper as the differences between it and mass burn -with regards to capital and operating expenses - narrow.

Modular plants will remain a good choice for smaller communities and those with fluctuations in solid waste volumes, but will not make major gains in comparison to the two leading technologies. The plants, however, also will be used for specialized requirements such as medical waste disposal.

Overall revenues have failed to meet expectations because planned facilities were scaled back as a result of tight financing, the lower cost of landfill tipping and environmental concerns.

In 1994, U.S. waste-to-energy plants incinerated approximately 33 million tons of municipal solid waste and that number is projected to rise to nearly 44 million by 2001. Aver-age tipping fees were estimated at $57 per ton and are projected to rise to approximately $70 in the near future.

At this point, it still remains less expensive to landfill waste. However, as landfills reach capacity, and other disposal processes are sought, WTE is a potential alternative.

A copy of this WTE study (No. 5128-45) can be obtained from Frost & Sullivan. For further information, contact: Carla Jewel, 2525 Charle-ston Road, Mountain View, Calif. 94043. (415) 961-9000. Fax: (415) 961-5042.

Address Change Information Systems Inc., Balti-more, has a new address: 803 Gleneagles Court, Ste. 400, Baltimore, Md. 21286. Phone: (410) 769-9800. Fax: (410) 769-8045.

Acquisitions Allied Waste Industries Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., has acquired Container Corporation of Carolina Inc.

Browning Ferris Industries, Houston, has acquired Waste Management of New York.

Awards The White House has awarded 22 federal agencies for their achievements in recycling, waste reduction and buying recycled at the Closing the Circle Awards ceremony. Winners included the U.S. Postal Service headquarters and Region Four's Environmental Protection Agency.

The Environmental Industry Associations' has awarded Gary E. Robinson, Waste Management of Pittsburgh, Am-bridge, Pa.; Kevin Sontag, Waste Management of Ohio, Northwood, Ohio; and Dennis M. Zehrung, Waste Manage-ment of the Northwest, Bothell, Wash., as 1996's refuse drivers of the year.

Contracts The Burlington County Freeholders, Mount- holly, N.J., have approved a five-year, $36.8 million contract with Wheelabrator Clean Water New Jersey, a WMX Technologies Inc., Oak Brook, Ill., company to create a co-composting facility at the county's Resource Recovery Complex.

ABB Air Preheater Inc., Raymond Products Division, Lisle, Ill., has been awarded a contract to install an incineration system at a hazardous-wastes facility in Singapore in October 1996.

Distributor Clarion, Gar-denia, Calif., has announced Safety Vision Inc., Houston, as its exclusive national distributor.

Rexworks Inc., Milwaukee, has appointed Pacific Utility E-quipment Co., Seattle, as an authorized distributor to sell and service the company's Bio-grind, Maxigrind and Mega-grind recycling grinders.

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Where They Trash? If we compare modes of transportation on the basis of passenger-miles, aircraft consume far less fossil fuel and emit much less air pollution than the gaggle of busses and automobiles required to duplicate a trip.

Merger If we compare modes of transportation on the basis of passenger-miles, aircraft consume far less fossil fuel and emit much less air pollution than the gaggle of busses and automobiles required to duplicate a trip.