Picture a claw machine thousands of times bigger than the ones you’d find in an arcade or bowling alley. Then replace the prizes with heaps and heaps of trash.
Using joysticks, operators in chairs behind glass windows maneuver the claws to scoop up loads of trash in the “Pit” far below, then carry it over to three boilers. Inside, the waste is burnt to generate energy.
Welcome to the ground floor of Palm Beach County‘s new waste-to-energy incinerator, the first built in North America in 20 years.
The $672 million, state-of-the-art facility’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Saturday, but members of the news media got an early look on Friday.
“This is the most advanced facility of its kind in the world today,” said Mark Hammond, executive director of the county’s Solid Waste Authority.
Nearly a decade in the making, the incinerator on Jog Road will reduce the amount of waste dumped in the county’s landfill by more than 90 percent. It’s expected to extend the life of the landfill by about 30 years and, at the same time, generate electricity to be sold to FP&L, officials said.
In an average day, the incinerator will burn more than 3,000 tons of trash. That’s in addition to the 2,000 tons already incinerated at the county’s existing waste-to-energy plant, built in 1989.
Between the two facilities, the Solid Waste Authority expects to annually generate enough electricity to power about 40,000 homes for a year.
Though some environmental groups have raised concerns about potential air pollution, officials say the incinerators are a clean and safe alternative to landfills. In addition to reducing the garbage put in the county landfill, their use will reduce greenhouse gases.
“It can’t be done any cleaner,” said Patrick Carroll, the authority’s project manager for the incinerator.
There are 87 working municipal waste-to-energy facilities in the U.S., including 11 in Florida. The majority of the country’s trash goes to landfills.
Initial test burning at Palm Beach County‘s new facility began in February. Testing remained underway Friday, with a “whole litany” of tests required before it gets the official stamp of approval, said Solid Waste Authority Director of Engineering Ray Schauer.
On Friday, semi-trailer trucks pulled into the facility and dumped piles of trash into the Pit as onlookers watched from windows about 100 feet above, near where the crane operators sat controlling the claws.
Officials gave tours of the plant’s educational center, which features exhibits and interactive, touchscreen games meant to showcase the facility and educate people about recycling. Open to the public, it is connected to the rest of the facility by a skybridge.
Solid Waste Authority leaders said they were excited about the debut of the incinerator.
“It will ensure the solid waste generated by residents and businesses in Palm Beach County will be managed in an economically and environmentally responsible way for decades to come,” Hammond said.
bshammas@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6531 or Twitter @britsham
If you go
The grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for Palm Beach County‘s new waste-to-energy facility is open to the public. It goes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 6751 N. Jog Road, in West Palm Beach. The event will include tours and a picnic with free food and drinks.
