Earth Scouts

On Tuesday we met our Earth Scout troop at the local trach incinirator for a tour of the facility. It was very cool! In a nutshell they take tons of trash, burn it and turn it into electricity that they sell back to the power grid. We were able to see the computer room where they run the whole system, the boilers , and the trash dump area where the trash is picked up by huge claw like devices and put into a bin that leads down to the boiler. Of course there is a whole elabarote process involved but that just gives you the idea. If you would like to know more I linked the video of how it works down below. It is the same video we saw as a group. I did not even know this place exisited. I feel alittle better about some of the trash I throw away. I am now on a mission to finnd out if Cheshire trash goes to an incinirator.

here is some tidbit facts for you:
Wheelabrator's waste-to-energy projects currently total 16 facilities nationwide with a combined processing capacity of more than 21,000 tons per day of municipal solid waste and an electric generating capacity of 609 megawatts (MW).Wheelabrator's five independent power projects have the generating capacity to produce an additional 227 MW of clean electricity. Combined, Wheelabrator's facilities provide enough clean electricity to power more than 900,000 homes.

By far the coolest best part of the tour for the kids (and adults too) was watching the big claw machine pick up trash. 2 guys sit up in a control booth and have little joystick controllers. It is a very big version of the toy claw machines where you pick up a toy with the claw. Pretty fascinating.



http://www.wheelabratortechnologies.com/WTI/env/wheelabrator_animation/wheelabrator_animation.html




After our fun tour we went to a state park near by,had lunch, picked up trash and hug out. Ryan and I both really enjoy our Earth Scouts group. We are lucky to have a great group if families involved.