Wheelabrator wins SWANA 2013 Gold Excellence Award

Exemplifies commitment to safe, clean energy production since 1991

SPOKANE, Wash. (August 21, 2013) — Wheelabrator Technologies has been named winner of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Gold Excellence Award in the Waste-to-Energy category.

The award, which recognizes Wheelabrator’s exceptional operations in Spokane, will be presented at SWANA’s annual conference —WASTECON® — being held Sept. 17-19 in Long Beach, Calif.

“The recipients of the SWANA Excellence Awards represent the best solid waste management practices in North America today,” said John H. Skinner, Ph.D., SWANA executive director and CEO. “Community leaders should be very proud of the valuable contributions that these projects provide to their citizens.”

The Wheelabrator Spokane waste-to-energy facility is a key component of an integrated solid waste system serving residents and businesses in Spokane County in the state of Washington. Wheelabrator will receive SWANA’s Excellence Award for the successful performance of the facility operated for the City of Spokane. The award recognizes Wheelabrator’s high-quality service, superior technical design, demonstrated excellence in health, safety and environmental compliance, and its ongoing commitment to community engagement in Spokane.

“Congratulations to Wheelabrator Technologies on its SWANA Gold Excellence Award for the operation of Spokane’s waste-to-energy facility,” said Rick Romero, the City of Spokane’s utilities division director. “We’ve enjoyed a successful public-private partnership with Wheelabrator and its devoted Spokane employees for nearly 23 years. This critical facility provides solid waste disposal services to the county’s businesses and 475,000 residents.”

The Spokane waste-to-energy facility provides dependable, environmentally safe disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW), while generating clean electricity for sale to the local utility. The waste-to-energy facility processes up to 800 tons per day of MSW and has an electric generating capacity of nearly 26,000 kilowatts, the equivalent of supplying electrical needs of 23,000 Washington homes. Since opening in 1991, the Wheelabrator Spokane facility has:

• Processed over 11.4 million tons of waste — enough material to fill a line of tractor trailer trucks over 3,450 miles long — longer than the distance from Seattle, Wash. to Miami, Fla.
• Generated 2.9 million megawatts of electricity — enough to power more than 506,000 homes
• Recycled nearly 325,000 tons of ferrous metals
• Engaged more than 60,000 visitors in tours of the site

“We have been proud to partner with Spokane since 1991. Together, we help local residents and businesses convert post-recycled waste into clean, renewable energy and recover additional materials from the waste stream for recycling,” said Mark Weidman, president of Wheelabrator Technologies. “We applaud all of our employees for their commitment to safety and operational excellence, which has made the Spokane plant an environmental and economic asset to the region. We also extend our sincere gratitude to SWANA for recognizing Wheelabrator Technologies with its 2013 waste-to-energy excellence award.”

The facility directly employs 43 Washington residents, many of whom live in the Spokane area, and last year created approximately $12 million of economic activity in the region through direct and indirect jobs, purchases of goods and services, and city and state tax payments.

 “This award is a testament to the dedication of Wheelabrator Spokane employees in the safe, clean operation of the waste-to-energy facility,” said Chuck Conklin, Wheelabrator Spokane plant manager. “We are proud to continue our service to the City of Spokane and all of our customers with a demonstrated commitment to environmental compliance and operational excellence for more than two decades.”

ABOUT WHEELABRATOR TECHNOLOGIES INC.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management, Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. is a leader in the safe and environmentally sound conversion of MSW and other renewable waste fuels into clean energy. Wheelabrator’s 17 waste-to-energy facilities provide safe waste disposal for towns and cities across the U.S. Wheelabrator also operates four independent power plants designed to generate electricity using an assortment of fuels, including waste wood, tires, waste coal, and natural gas. In addition to producing electricity, some of these facilities also produce steam sold to nearby government and commercial establishments. Wheelabrator’s 21 facilities have a combined electric generating capacity of 853 megawatts, enough energy to power more than 900,000 homes. To learn more, visit www.wheelabratortechnologies.com.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more, visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

ABOUT SWANA

For more than 50 years, the Solid Waste Association of North America has been the leading professional association in the solid waste field. Our association serves over 8,000 members throughout North America, and thousands more with conferences, certifications, publications and technical training courses.

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