Up until the mid-1980's, almost all of the trash produced in Ramsey and Washington Counties was buried in landfills. The discovery of groundwater pollution and the difficulty in siting new landfills led the legislature to enact laws restricting the use of landfills. We use this energy to run our appliances, recharge our batteries, and light our way. Reducing the use of a non-renewable resource. Trash, a locally produced renewable resource, provides a substitute for coal, a non-renewable fossil fuel imported from other states.
Trash also burns cleaner than coal as it contains no sulphur, a major contributor to acid rain.
Eliminating the financial and environmental risks associated with landfilling. The long-term uncertainties of burying waste decrease when waste is processed through the resource recovery facility. By using the facility, human and environmental health risks are reduced, protecting residents and businesses from costly landfill clean-ups. Resource recovery also conserves land that would otherwise be needed for landfill space. The recovery of ferrous metal from the waste stream.