Reduce, Reuse and Recycle or Waste to Energy? December 8, 2011

Waste, as it turns out, is a leading energy alternative. A ton of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has enough energy to off-set mining 1/3 ton of coal or extracting 1 barrel of petroleum crude. Further the EPA has classified controlled conversion of biomass derived Waste to Energy (WtE) as a renewable technology. Promising as it sounds; there is opposition to WtE locally and a debate over its classification as renewable. Landfill gases and WtE process emissions are regulated by the US EPA. What are the various WtE technologies and which of the WtE technologies are scalable? Alternate approaches to managing waste by composting, reducing, reusing and recycling are vigorously pursued. With cities such as Seattle setting higher targets for recycling of MSW, what are the opportunities in materials recycling? Is there an opportunity for wealth, energy and a means to avoidance of green house gas emission at the same time?

Our talented panel will help you find answers to questions on where are the entrepreneurial opportunities, what is the collective thought of the general population on this matter?. What is the future regulatory environment and how will it impact entrepreneurship? How to fund these ventures?

Moderator:

Susan Robinson, Federal Public Affairs Director, Waste Management

Panelists:

1. Gary Kato, Assistant Division Manager, Public Works Department, Solid Waste Management Division, City of Tacoma

2. Jeffrey E. Surma, President and CEO, S4 Energy Solutions, LLC

Official Website: http://seattle.tie.org/event/48/octnov-waste-energy-sustainable-green-power-and-waste-management