1. Covanta Warren recycles products
containing mercury
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By WarrenReporter
on May 18, 2012 at 1:18 PM
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Covanta Warren Energy Resource Company, the operator of the Energy-from-
Waste facility in Oxford recently collected mercury containing devices in
exchange for $5 gift cards at the PCFA’s bi-annual householdhazardous waste
collection event.
Residents were encouragedto turn in devices such as thermostats and
thermometers at this special collection event that was held to properly recycle
these items and prevent them from entering the waste stream. If simply
thrown into householdtrash cans, these devices can break and release their
mercury into the environment.
Warren County residents dropped off over 50 mercury thermostats.
Commenting on the collection, Covanta Warren Business Manager Lorenzo
Rizzi stated, “We’re happy to be able to support Warren County’s recycling
efforts and this program gives something back to residents that do their part.”
Swapping an older mercury-thermostat for a new programmable one also
saves money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, installing a new
programmable, mercury-free digital thermostat can cut a home’s energy cost
by 15-20%.
Covanta Energy regularly holds collections for unwanted mercury-containing
devices such as thermostats and thermometers, and fluorescent light bulbs.
Mercury can be potentially hazardous to human health if the devices in which
it is contained are not properly captured. Since its inception, the program has
collected over 1,400 pounds of mercury nationwide.

2. The Covanta Warren Energy-from-Waste facility serves Warren County and
surrounding areas with sustainable waste disposal and is an integral part of
the county’s solid waste management plan. The facility also generates up to
13.5 megawatts of clean, renewable energy and recycles thousands of tons of
metal each year.
Recovering energy from waste after efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle have
been employed is a critical component of managing residual waste. For every
ton of municipal solid waste processed at an Energy-from-Waste facility like
Covanta Warren, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by the equivalent of
approximately one ton less of carbon dioxide emissions. This is possible due to
the avoidance of methane from landfills, the offset of greenhouse gases from
fossil fuel electrical production and the recovery of metals for recycling.