Fifteen Keep America Beautiful affiliates will share $150,000 in cash grants from Waste Management, Inc. One of the awardees is located in New Mexico: Keep Tularosa Beautiful.

The Waste Management Think Green Community Improvement Grants are part of a nationwide effort that encourages local solutions to improving community environments. Waste Management is partnering with Keep America Beautiful (KAB) for the third year of the Think Green grants program. More than 575 local KAB affiliates were challenged to present proposals for ambitious projects representing a wide array of stewardship, community outreach and educational projects. Fifteen recipients were chosen from a nationwide field of 61 entries and will each receive a $10,000 award to bring their proposals to fruition.

By Eric Billingsley, Albuquerque Journal Staff Writer

With television broadcasts switching from analog to digital in February 2009, many people are buying new, up-to-date television sets. But what can be done with the old and broken units? Enchantment Recycling in Albuquerque recycles televisions year-round. It charges $10 to recycle each television with a 28-inch screen and smaller, and $15 each for anything larger. It costs $25 to recycle units with shattered glass, and there is no limit to the number of units that can be dropped off.

Recycling is a lot better option for the environment than hauling old televisions to the dump, says Joel Belding, president of Enchantment Recycling. "TVs are full of lots of hazardous chemicals including lead, phosphorus, chromium and cadmium," he says. "At the landfill, compactors go over the televisions and crush the leaded glass. We worry about the potential of lead leaking into the water supply if the landfill liner ever breaks."

Consumers own a median of 3.5 television sets, according to the Web site greenerchoices.org. Three out of every 10 consumers who disposed of a television set in the past year threw their old unit into the trash. Best Buy in Albuquerque offers a recycling service. When customers pay to have a new television set delivered, the company will haul away and recycle the old unit for an extra $20 fee. At Office Depot, customers pay $15 for a box to haul off old electronics. Boxes are a specific size, so the company accepts only televisions with screens 22 inches and smaller. The service is available at all Office Depot stores in Albuquerque.

After receiving the televisions, Enchantment Recycling packages them and ships them to a company in Texas certified to deal with leaded glass, Belding says. The units are disassembled at the Texas facility, and the various materials are sent off to be refined and reused.

        These retailers recycle TVs in ALBUQUERQUE, but costs and guidelines vary.
        BEST BUY
        3741 Ellison NW
        Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
        922-1301
       

        BEST BUY
        55 Hotel Circle NE
        Hours: Mon.-Tues., 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Wed., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m.-        10 p.m.
        298-3585
       

        ENCHANTMENT RECYCLING
        4121 Prospect NE (about one block south of Menaul and one block east of Carlisle)
        Hours: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
        232-9483
       

        OFFICE DEPOT
        350 Eubank NE, Ste. B
        Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
        237-1040
       

        OFFICE DEPOT
        1409 Renaissance NE
        Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
        342-2962
       

        OFFICE DEPOT
        5001 Cutler NE
        Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
        881-3145
       

        OFFICE DEPOT
        7901 San Pedro NE
        Hours: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-9p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
        821-1208

Steve Spacek has made a study of highway trash and studies the sociopolitical aspects of littering. He used a host of measurements to come up with a state-by-state litter scorecard on which New Mexico was ranked one of the worst states as far as litter eradication measures and indactors. Among other measurements, he looks at are beverage container laws, recycling habits, per capita waste disposal and the number of traffic fatalities attributed to highway trash. The study includes a lot of great facts about litter and provides theories about why states in the South, Texas and New Mexico have more littering.

Study on Litter and Its Causes: http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/27/

Litter ScoreCard: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/adopt/files/AmericanStateLitterScorecard.pdf

The law passed in the 2008 legislative session that regulates the sale of recycled materials such as aluminum beer kegs and copper wire takes effect January 1, 2009. It requires scrap metal vendors to show identification and provide personal information in hopes of reducing the amount of stolen scrap metal being sold to scrap dealers and automotive wreckers. Violators of the new law face fines of up to $1,000 per violation.

For the final bill language, click here: http://www.nmlegis.gov//Sessions/08%20Regular/final/SB0281.pdf

The Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel is located on Civic Plaza in downtown Albuquerque and has been in operation since 1990 with a staff of 250.  The hotel is a convention hotel with 395 sleeping rooms and 24,000 sq ft of space.  The Hotel has a Banquet Department, which provides services to 246,000 customers annually.  

The Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel joined NMRC in May of 2008, shortly after forming its Green Team in April 2008.  The Hotel has contracted with Master Fibers to provide 4 recycling bins for paper, cans, milk jugs and PET plastics.  Additionally, Cliff’s Recycling Service recycles about 1.5 to 2 tons per month of cardboard from the Hotel.  In 2009, the Hotel plans to purchase its own cardboard baler.  Furthermore, Early Harvest Recycling is removing about 60 gallons of fryer oil per month.  Early Harvest then reuses this oil as a source for biofuels.  All Green Team information is posted clearly on a bulletin board in the work area. The Hotel plans to record all recycled/composted waste in a spreadsheet that will be posted and available to sales team. 

Hotel guests are provided with information on water conservation by reusing bathroom towels.  By installing low-flow toilets and showerheads, the Hotel has realized a 30% reduction in water use during the past two years.  Low-flow fixtures will next be installed in all public restrooms.  Also, CFLs have been installed in all guest rooms and the Hotel plans to install LEC lighting in all exit signs as well as T-8 fluorescents in all work areas.  Motion sensors will also be installed in all office and work areas so lights will turn off after a certain amount of inactivity.

Other waste reduction projects include newspapers on a request-only basis and disposable cups on request-only for coffee stations.  The restaurant is also starting a Natura water program which features still and sparkling in-house filtered water and reusable glass bottles.

As the City of Albuquerque is being promoted as a green convention location, the Hyatt Regency is staying ahead of the game with their proactive recycling, energy efficiency and water conservation efforts.

The Green Team has arranged a food scrap-composting program with Soilutions in Albuquerque.  Collection bins are placed in the main kitchen and the upstairs prep area.  Kitchen staff has been trained on segregating compostable food wastes into the designated bins for removal by Soilutions.  Most foods and supplies are stored in cardboard boxes and/or plastic jugs in the storage areas and kitchen.  

All cleaning, washing supplies and the laundry are organized in a basement storage area.  Ecolabs is contracted to provide laundry detergent dispensers and a green line of cleaning supplies.  All dishwashing units are outfitted with environmentally friendly chemicals and dispensers.  Chemicals are not stored in plastic tubs, thereby reducing waste.

The City of Albuquerque currently provides a 30-cubic yard trash bin for all solid waste, hauled once a week.  Master Fibers bins for recyclables are hauled once a week; fryer oil is hauled once monthly.  Engineering is also planning to install a monitor that will notify the City when a pickup is needed, thereby reducing the number of pickups and saving fuel.

Associated Press
AZTEC — San Juan County Public Works employees reached a milestone when they moved an abandoned mobile home last week. The burned, 14-by-80-foot mobile home was the 100th moved to the county's landfill for disposal. It took the county about five years to reach the mark with its San Juan County Clean-Up program. County officials launched the Clean-Up and Prevention of Illegal Dumping program — also known as CUPID — in 2003. It was a joint effort between the county and the oil and gas industry to combat the degradation of public lands. Crews put the burned-out mobile home on axles Friday and pulled it from the Wildhorse Canyon area. Landfill crews used two machines, a bulldozer and a steel-wheel roller, to dispose of it.
 

Rusty Smith, community resource supervisor for the county's Public Works department, said the mobile home was knee-high by the time the work was finished. After the trailer was flattened, workers buried it. The cleanup program targets sites where owners agree to allow county employees and inmate workers to remove refuse. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis to determine which services will be provided. The program helps residents who are physically unable or financially incapable of removing the refuse. Beth Utley, San Juan County's public relations manager, said during the program's two-year existence, the county received 343 requests and did 325 cleanups. The effort involved 4,278 employee hours and 5,806 inmate worker hours. The program brought 15,536 cubic yards to the landfill and 1,958 yards to recycling programs.

For more information about any of these programs, please contact the New Mexico Department of Economic Development. http://www.edd.state.nm.us/businessAssistance/incentives/index.html

 

STATE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

Job Training Incentive Program
This labor training program provides pre-employment (classroom) and on-the-job training for businesses. Training may be conducted by the company, educational institution, or other sources.  The state will reimburse up to 50% of trainees' wages up to 1,040 hours in urban areas.  In addition, the state will pay 100% of the cost of classroom training provided by New Mexico educational institutions.  Jobs meeting the requirements of the High Wage Jobs Tax Credit are eligible for an additional 5% of wage reimbursement.

 

ISO Certification

The state has collaborated with several organizations to provide inexpensive training leading to ISO certification.

 

Smart Money 

The New Mexico Finance Authority oversees this $10 million loan fund. NMFA partners with New Mexico banks to offer qualified businesses fixed rate loans reflecting the current U.S. Treasury rate.  Terms and interest are negotiated between the borrower and the bank.  For every $50,000 borrowed, at least 1 job must be created.  Preference is given to projects in rural areas.

 

FINANCING THROUGH STATE PARTNERS COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

 

Industrial Revenue Bonds

These bonds are utilized by companies as a tool to reduce their property and compensating taxes.  A government entity must approve the issuance of the bonds, with the proceeds and repayment flowing through that entity.  Businesses enter into a lease agreement with the bond issuer, eventually purchasing the property for a nominal fee at term.  Specifics of the bond issuance are determined by the local government with the length from 20-30 years.  The business is responsible for purchasing or selling the bonds.

 

Community Development Incentive Act

Communities may exempt a business from local property taxes for up to 20 years.  The business will still be responsible for state property taxes.  This program is designed to give communities a financing tool for projects which may be too small to warrant the expenses associated with industrial revenue bond financing.

 

FEDERAL LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAMS

 

SBA 7(a)

This loan provides businesses with an 85% guarantee on loans up to $150,000 and a 75% guarantee on loans of $150,000 to $1.5 million.  The loan will finance working capital, equipment, machinery, fixtures and real estate.

 

SBA 504

This loan provides expanding small businesses with 90% financing to purchase real estate; make lease improvements; buy and install machinery, equipment and fixtures; and pay soft costs associated with the project. 

 

SBA Export Working Capital Funds

This loan assists lenders responding to the needs of exporters seeking short-term working capital.  The SBA guarantees 90% of the loan to businesses involved in exporting. Loan proceeds can be used to finance labor and materials for exporting, and purchasing or servicing manufacturing goods for export.  

 

USDA Business and Loan Guarantee

The purpose of this loan program is to improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities. Businesses financed with these funds must be located in rural areas with populations less than 50,000.  However, priority is given to businesses located in communities with populations under 25,000.  This program will guarantee up to 80% of loans up to $5 million.  The loan will finance businesses with working capital, machinery, equipment, fixtures and real estate. The USDA administers the program and provides certified lenders to package and process the loans. 

 

MICRO-LENDERS

 

ACCION

This nonprofit organization makes loans to small business owners who do not have traditional bank credit.  Loans are made for funds up to $50,000.  This program will provide financing for merchandise, equipment, expansion or working capital.  In addition, ACCION also provides companies with general technical assistance.

 

WESST Corp

Another nonprofit group which provides business training and small loans to New Mexico businesses.  Their staff can assist businesses in obtaining loans up to $50,000. Funds may be used to for merchandise, equipment, expansion or working capital.

 

EQUITY FINANCING

Equity financing from venture capital or angel investors may, or may not, have to be repaid; but financers own a portion of the company and desire a higher return than traditional lenders. 

 

Mesa Venture

Founded in the state in May 2004, Mesa Venture established the New Mexico Growth Fund I.  Mesa Venture invests in small businesses with high growth potential in industries and geographic areas which are underserved by other capital providers. Mesa focuses on manufacturers and service businesses demonstrating a competitive advantage, operating in sizeable and dynamic markets, having significant unrealized growth potential with exit opportunities in 3-5 years. Mesa will provide funding from $300,000 to $1.5 million.

 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH STATE PARTNERS 

 

Small Business Development Centers

There are eighteen SBDC centers throughout the state which provide technical assistance to clients interested in starting or expanding businesses.

 

New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership

This nonprofit group provides New Mexico manufacturers with technical expertise in a number of areas.  MEP has access to over 2,000 business specialists having a broad range of technical expertise.  Some of the many services this organization provides include:  feasibility studies, lean manufacturing techniques, and product commercialization. 

 

Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program

SATOP strives to transfer the knowledge obtained through the federal space program to small businesses. Small businesses are encouraged to submit a challenging technical problem for analysis.   If SATOP feels they are able to provide assistance, the company will receive up to forty hours of free technical expertise from their group of engineers and scientists.

 

Sandia National Laboratory Small Business Assistance Program

The Small Business Assistance Program provides engineering and scientific services at no charge to New Mexico businesses.  Companies may obtain up to $10,000 per year in technical assistance if they are located in a rural area of the state, and up to $5,000 in Bernalillo County.

 

Mentor Program

Volunteer mentors are teamed with small businesses to create an advisory relationship focusing on helping the company achieve their development goals.  

NEW MEXICO GENERAL BUSINESS TAX CREDITS

Rural Jobs Tax Credit

Eligible employers must be located in a rural area and be approved for the JTIP program.  Employers receive a credit of 6.25% of the first $16,000 in wages.  If the job is located in a Tier 1 community (< 15,000 in population), the employer may take the credit for four consecutive years.  Businesses located in a Tier 2  community (> 15,000 in population) may take the credit for two consecutive years. If the amount of credit exceeds the businesses tax liability, the excess may be carried forward for up to three years.  Rural New Mexico is defined as any part of the state other than Los Alamos, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces and Santa Fe – and a 10 mile zone around municipalities. 

High Wage Job Tax Credit
Companies may take a credit equal to ten percent of the combined value of salaries and benefits for each new job paying a minimum of $28,000 per year in areas with populations less than 40,000 persons; companies located in larger areas must pay salaries of $40,000 to receive the credit.  Qualified employers may take the credit for up to four years and any excess credit will be refunded to the taxpayer.  The credit shall not exceed $12,000 per year, per job. The credit is applied against the businesses tax liability, including the state portion of gross receipts tax, compensating tax and withholding tax.

Technology Jobs Tax Credit

Businesses may take a credit on research expenditures of 4% (8% in rural areas).  Qualified expenditures may include land, buildings, equipment, computer software and upgrades, consultants, technical literature, test materials, patents, payroll, and labor. The credit may be taken against gross receipts tax, compensating tax or state payroll tax, and may be carried forward.  An additional 4% may be applied against state income tax if base payroll expenses will be increased by at least $75,000 per $1,000,000 of expenditures claimed.

Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit
Manufacturers may take a tax credit of five percent of the value of qualified equipment and other property used in their operation. The credit can be applied against compensating, gross receipts or withholding tax up to 85% of the total.  Any remaining available credit may be claimed in subsequent reporting periods.  In addition, the company must add one new job for each credit up to $30 million; and one new employee must be hired for each $500,000 in equipment.

Additional details and forms for all of these credits may be obtained from the State of New Mexico’s Taxation and Revenue Department at 505-827-0341 or http://www.tax.state.nm.us/forms/year06/corporate.htm

Story from the Christian Science Monitor, December 16, 2008 discusses three environmental models: Toyota's Prius factory, an electronics recycler, and a village that recycles 80 percent of its trash. 

Excerpt:

Kamikatsu, Japan - Tucked almost imperceptibly into cedar-blanketed mountains an hour's winding drive from the nearest metropolis, Kamikatsu seems an unlikely spot for a revolution.

But try to throw even a candy wrapper away here, and it's quickly apparent that residents are radically reshaping their relationship to the environment.

This is a town singularly focused on banishing waste – all waste – by 2020. The 2,000 people of Kamikatsu have dispensed with public trash bins. They set up a Zero Waste Academy to act as a monitor. The town dump has become a sort of outdoor filing cabinet, embracing 34 categories of trash – from batteries to fluorescent lights to bottle caps.

Kamikatsu has probably pushed the recycling ethic as far as any community in the world. But it's just one small indicator of a national drive by Japan to position itself as a leader in the world's urgent quest to live greener.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1216/p01s04-woap.html

A new study released today by the Tellus Institute commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found that "gasification and pyrolysis facilities are unlikely to play a major role in MSW management in Massachusetts by 2020."  The study can be downloaded at http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/priorities/dswmpu01.htm   The study says that:

"Key issues informing this conclusion include: the lack of experience in the U.S. with large-scale alternative technology facilities successfully processing mixed MSW and generating energy; the long lead times to plan, site, construct, and permit such facilities; the significant capital costs required and the loss of solid waste management flexibility that is associated with the long-term contractual arrangements that such capital-intensive facilities require; and the relatively small benefit with respect to greenhouse gas emissions compared to diversion or landfilling."

The conclusions presented in the study are the following: 

1)    From a lifecycle environmental emissions and energy perspective, source reduction, recycling and composting are the most advantageous management options for all (recyclable/compostable) materials in the waste stream. (See Tables ES-1 and ES-2, below.) This finding confirms the traditional solid waste management hierarchy that has guided MA DEP’s Solid Waste Master Plan to date.

2)    After maximizing diversion through source reduction, recycling and composting, it is appropriate for DEP to continue to monitor developments regarding alternative waste management technologies that produce energy – gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion.   In evaluating conventional and alternative management options for the remaining waste stream, the competing needs of energy generation and prevention of climate change come into play, given that materials with high fossil fuel energy content, such as plastics and rubber, also emit high levels of greenhouse gases when they are combusted or processed for energy. Expected federal regulation of carbon emissions, or market mechanisms such as cap-and-trade systems, may place additional focus on solid waste management facilities as emission sources, making greenhouse gases an increasingly important consideration in future waste management decision-making.

3)    Several factors lead us to conclude that gasification and pyrolysis facilities are unlikely to play a major role in MSW management in Massachusetts by 2020. Key issues informing this conclusion include: the lack of experience in the U.S. with large-scale alternative technology facilities successfully processing mixed MSW and generating energy; the long lead times to plan, site, construct, and permit such facilities; the significant capital costs required and the loss of solid waste management flexibility that is associated with the long-term contractual arrangements that such capital-intensive facilities require; and the relatively small benefit with respect to greenhouse gas emissions compared to diversion or landfilling.

4)    The prospects for anaerobic digestion facilities appear to be more favorable given the extensive experience with such facilities in the U.S. for the processing of sewage sludge and farm waste and the fact that no significant human health or environmental impacts have been cited in the literature.  Moreover, since anaerobic digestion is more similar to composting than high-temperate combustion, its risks are expected to be akin to composting, which is considered low-risk.  Anaerobic digestion may be most suitable for source-separated organic material as an alternative to conventional composting. Ultimately, the degree to which anaerobic digestion makes sense will depend largely on the economics of such facilities, including the energy they produce, versus directly composting such material in aerobic composting facilities.

5)    As summarized in Table ES-1, below, among the other technology options – landfilling, waste-to-energy incineration, and gasification/pyrolysis – from a life-cycle perspective no technology performs better than the others across all the seven emissions categories reviewed. However, reported per ton emission factors for gasification/pyrolysis facilities are lower than for WTE incineration facilities for all pollutants, and lower than landfill emissions for all except carbon dioxide (eCO₂). (Key assumptions and a discussion of the modeling results are presented in section III.)  

Table ES-1: Summary of Per Ton Emissions by Management Method 

      *  Quantitative performance data from anaerobic digestion facilities comparable to that for the other facility    types is not readily available for the modeled emissions categories and therefore not included in the table.

6)    For modern landfills, waste-to energy incinerators, as well as the gasification and pyrolysis plants, the emission factors used to compare environmental performance are based largely on modeling and/or vendor claims for modern, state-of-the art facilities, as opposed to actual operational data from real world experience. For example, actual operating performance for Massachusetts WTE facilities has been shown to produce far higher emissions than the modeled figures. Similarly, there remains significant uncertainty as to whether commercial scale gasification/ pyrolysis facilities processing MSW and generating energy can perform as well as the vendor claims or modeled emissions.

7)    Preference among the alternative technology options based on environmental performance is dependent on the relative importance placed on eCO₂ emissions versus the other pollutants. For example, on a per ton MSW basis, modern landfills with efficient gas capture systems reduce two and a half times as much eCO₂ as gasification and pyrolysis facilities, and three and a half times as much as waste-to-energy incinerators.

8)    From a life-cycle net energy perspective, waste diversion through recycling provides the most benefit, saving an estimated 2,250 kWh per ton of solid waste. Of the other waste management technologies, gasification and pyrolysis facilities have the most potential for energy production at about 660 kWh per ton, followed by modern waste to energy incinerators at 585 kWh per ton, and then anaerobic digestion, and landfilling. The estimated energy potential of the various management methods is summarized in Table ES-2, below.

Table ES-2: Net Energy Generation Potential Per Ton MSW

Management Method	Energy Potential* (kWh per ton MSW)
Recycling	2,250
Landfilling	105
WTE Incineration	585
Gasification	660
Pyrolysis	660
Anaerobic Digestion	250

 * Per-ton energy generation potential estimates are dependent on a number of factors including: the composition of the MSW stream, the specific technologies considered (e.g., fluid bed versus fixed bed for gasification), and the source of the data.  Source references are provided in section III.

9)    In considering potential sources of energy to meet the Commonwealth’s electricity needs, if 100% of MSW currently landfilled or exported (about 3.5 million tons) were processed by pyrolysis facilities, the maximum potential electricity production would be 2.3 million MWh per year or about 4% of the state’s 2005 electricity consumption.

10) The Morris Environmental Benefits Calculator (MEBCalc) model was used to analyze the relative environmental and energy impacts of three alternative solid waste management systems for the Commonwealth in 2020 – Scenario 1: Business As Usual; Scenario 2: Enhanced Diversion, No Alternative Technologies; and Scenario 3: Enhanced Diversion with Alternative Technologies (gasification and pyrolysis). As summarized in Table ES-3, results of the modeling indicate that Scenario 1, without an enhanced diversion program (or the introduction of new thermal treatment technologies), produces significantly lower environmental benefits than the other scenarios across all emissions categories considered.  Without an enhanced recycling program, Scenario 1 has a disposal stream that is about 3 million tons more than the other scenarios.

11) The emissions profiles for Scenarios 2 and 3 are very similar for virtually all emissions categories.  The shifting of MSW from landfilling to gasification and pyrolysis has a small impact on overall system emissions. This is because only about 10% of the total waste stream is sent to the new thermal processing facilities and because the emissions associated with the 80% of the waste stream that is either recycled/composted or incinerated in conventional waste to energy facilities in both scenarios has a determinative impact on the overall emissions profile. Though the overall differences are small, the shifting of waste from landfilling to gasification and pyrolysis facilities that occurs in Scenario 3 results in lower overall emissions for all pollutants except eCO₂.

12) The fraction of waste recycled or composted has a dominant impact on the overall system energy profile for all three scenarios. This is due to a combination of the size of the recycled/composted waste stream (47% in Scenario 1, 62% in Scenarios 2 and 3), plus the high energy savings per ton of diverted waste.  As summarized in Table ES-4, below, Scenario 1 has a net energy potential of almost 22 million MWh. The enhanced recycling/composting activities in Scenarios 2 and 3 boost the overall solid waste management system’s net energy potential by about 6.1 million MWh or 28% over Scenario1.  Introducing the gasification and pyrolysis facilities in Scenario 3 and shifting MSW from landfills to these new thermal treatment facilities increases overall net system energy potential by 1 million MWh.

13) For both pollutant and energy impacts, the scenario analysis points to the significant benefits of broadening and strengthening the Commonwealth’s recycling and composting diversion programs and the modest additional benefits associated with shifting non-C&D MSW from landfills to new thermal processing facilities.