TRASH-TO-POWER PLAN DESERVES A CLOSE LOOK

Every year about 120,000 tons of trash go into a landfill in Butler County, and officials there are considering a study to determine the feasibility of burning most of it to produce power.

The Butler County Commission recently was asked by an engineering company to support the study. It would be to that county's advantage to do so.

The engineering firm believes a solid-waste incinerator capable of converting the waste into steam and electricity would spur economic development, protect the environment, extend the life of the landfill, save fossil fuels and produce revenue for its operator if the power were to be sold on the spot market.

It is estimated about 90 percent of the solid waste that goes into the landfill could be burned in such a co-generation process, and the initial numbers look promising.

If the 120,000 tons of trash were converted to steam through incineration, it would generate about two-thirds of the more than 329 million kilowatt hours of electricity that Poplar Bluff sells each year.

If it were sold on the spot market, it could produce $8.5 million annually, and with that much access, that would be a distinct possibility for the city.

Nineteen industries alone in Poplar Bluff use about 3.7 million kilowatt hours, and the co-generation process would easily meet their needs with a lot to spare.

Another selling point offered by the firm was industrial expansion because of the increased availability of power, including the timber industry and agricultural-related businesses such as canneries and poultry processing plants.

It sounds as if the idea has potential, and a feasibility study should be done to determine whether the investment would indeed deliver the returns cited by the engineering firm.

An adequate supply of power is a crucial ingredient of industrial development, and if a trash-to-power operation proves feasible, it would greatly enhance the Poplar Bluff area's industrial base.