America, losing the race to clean energy

Denmark is currently taking the reins in finding a cleaner source of fuel by using waste-to-energy plants that takes local trash and converts it into heat and electricity. Dozens of filters catch pollutants from mercury to dioxin, and not only has this innovation reduced the country's energy costs and reliance on oil and gas, but it is benefiting the environment with lack of landfills and cutting carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Denmark currently has 29 plants serving 5.5 million people! With 10 more planned or under construction the results will only continue to benefit the country. Germany and the Netherlands are following in Denmark's footsteps and building new ones. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)states no new plants like these are being built in the United States. A population of more than 300 million people and only 87 plants exist that were built almost 15 years ago are over run by the nation's love for landfills. America, where many eco-friendly ideas are rejected, has protested the idea of these new plants that Europe is currently benefiting from. EPA states the reasons why America has not caught on to these plants is because nationally landfills are cheaper, and officials fear the plants would undercut recycling programs, and create a need to increase more garbage to "feed" the plants. Yet, the leading countries expanding these plants also have the highest recycling rates, leaving only the non-recyclable material to be burned. Another main issue is to where the plants would be built, but by not building these plants would just be environmentally, and economically...dumb.

One remarkable statistic is if using this waste-to-energy plant American cuold create enough environmentally safe energy to power more than 7 MILLION HOMES for one year, compared to our current landfills generating power for only 800,000 homes. That jump in numbers should be enough to jump on the bandwagon, but it seems America is just being stubborn.
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Submitted by: Jessica Seggman