(2/7) "The Frederick Board of County Commissioners, as well as previous boards, has continued to support the renewable waste-to-energy project planned for Frederick County as the best option for the long-term management of solid waste.  We just cannot continue trucking our trash out-of-state due to the fluctuating fuel costs and the uncertainty of the availability of landfills," commented Board President Blaine Young in a new video produced by Frederick County Video Services of the Interagency Information Technologies Division.

The title of the video is Frederick County’s Renewable Waste-to-Energy Project.

The project brings a reliable post-recycled waste solution to Frederick County while generating clean, renewable energy, creating hundreds of local jobs and economic stimulus and meeting stringent environmental standards.

"According to our figures, it has cost more than $83 million to transfer trash out of state, and those costs are considerable. We need our own solution, which is why we have carefully studied this concept.  Waste-to-energy would work hand-in-hand with our successful recycling program and provide a source of renewable energy for homes and businesses for years to come," President Young further emphasized.

The video may be viewed on FCG TV, cable channel 19, on the county webcasting page at www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/video (under 'FCG TV Features').

The 9:31-minute video provides an inside look at the operation of the Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc., waste-to-energy facility in Baltimore, Md., that is similar to the one planned for Frederick County.

Wheelabrator Technologies has been selected as the contractor to partner with the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority in the development of the waste-to-energy facility to be located adjacent to the Frederick County Ballenger-McKinney Waste Water Treatment Plant.

During the video, Wheelabrator Vice President Bill Roberts and Frederick County Special Projects Manager Michael Marschner discuss the multi-faceted aspects of a waste-to-energy facility and local economic benefits from construction to operation of the future Frederick County facility.

The video allows Frederick County residents to take their own virtual tour of the Wheelabrator facility known for its efficiencies and contributions to the Baltimore community in which it has safely processed over 20 million tons of municipal solid waste since 1985.

The tour of the facility begins with the disposal of post-recycled trash in a huge storage area. Viewers then follow the progression of the waste through hydraulic ramps to boiler units. High-pressure steam from the process is routed to a turbine generator to produce renewable energy that helps warm the Baltimore Ravens stadium next door, as well as power over 68,000 homes and businesses.

Before the cleaned exhaust gas exits the plant’s stack, it passes through a series of continuous air-quality systems monitored in a state-of-the-art control room manned 24-hours a day by licensed operators. The Wheelabrator waste-to-energy process incorporates some of the most sophisticated operating and technological advancements in the United States.

Mr. Marschner then discusses why Frederick County cannot continue to rely on the current practice of trucking 90 percent of its trash to out-of-state landfills due to its potential high costs and reliance on other jurisdictions. He also explains the advantages of having a waste disposal system that is predictable and where costs are controllable. He further notes that the waste-to-energy project will complement Frederick County’s recycling program and has the ability to thermally treat sewage sludge from the adjacent wastewater treatment plant, thus avoiding construction of a $50 million sludge processing system.