Patent ID: 7302897

Claim:
A method of processing municipal solid waste to maximize recovery of recyclable and inert waste components and to condition the remainder as fuel for combustion to produce energy, comprising the steps of: a. chopping the waste into pieces of a size suitable for handling, drying, separation and combustion, b. removing unwanted content from the waste, c. conveying the chopped waste through a drying chamber to reduce the moisture content of the waste to a predetermined amount to produce combustible dried waste, d. varying the rate of travel through the drying chamber based on the moisture content of the chopped waste entering the drying chamber, e. selectively varying the rate of travel of the waste through the drying chamber to produce the predetermined amount of moisture content, f. chopping the waste into lumps having a maximum size of about 2 inches (50 mm) to produce combustible dried waste, g. storing the combustible dried waste in a fuel storage bunker prior to combustion, and h. combusting the combustible dried waste to produce energy.