Agenda - Council - 10/14/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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- 23 - The market for tires is uncertain. Experiments are continuing to determine the suitability of shredded tires as an alternative fuel. There are currently few viable markets for waste plastics. 2. POTENTIAL ENERGY MARKETS In a study conducted by Hennepin County (1979), several markets for refuse-derived energy have been identified. These markets are shown in Table 3. This table shows the size of the market in tons of waste per day, and a preliminary estimate of feasibility. Probably the best potential market for steam in the Twin Cities is the Hoerner-Waldorf plant in the Midway district of St. Paul. Hoerner-Waldorf is a large consumer of steam and ~ould be a good candidate for a water wall cumbustion system. If all of these promising markets listed were developed, approxi- mately 3,210 TPD of refuse would be burned to generate steam. However, the seasonal changes in refuse generation, variations in operating costs for different facilities, and the need for dependable capacity (a way to dispose of solid wastes when, for any reason, a resource and energy facility is out of service) complicate the alternatives that may be considered. B. PROGRAM COSTS 1. WASTE REDUCTION The waste reduction methods described and evaluated in the pre- vious section can be divided into three major categories for purposes of discussing program costs: - Methods requiring state or federal legislation Methods requiring establishment of municipal or county policies - General conservation methods through public education a. Waste Reduction Methods Requiring State or Federal Legislation Nearly all of the methods listed in Table 1--including con- tainer deposits, packaging reduction, product charges, bans, extended warranties, and newsprint conservation--would be most effectively enacted at the state or federal level. Costs associated with these reduction techniques would mostly be borne by the affected industries with no significant costs to any government unit for implementation, assuming no major en- forcement or monitoring programs are instituted. However, when considering all costs, including research, development, lobbying and planning, even state and federal governments will incur a certain amount of expenses in terms of staff time. Local and county governments, on the other hand, could support this type of legislation through resolution and incur no