The problem of what to do with our rubbish is becoming increasingly urgent as landfills overflow and old produce compacts to form dangerous gases, toxic waste leaches into water supplies, and cities run out of space to contain their rubbish. The US alone produces 200 million tons of hazardous waste per year, in addition to the 13 billion tons annually of nonhazardous waste. Burning it produces more noxious fumes. Sweeping it under the carpet leaves malodorous bulges. What to do?

Startech Environmental Corporation has a new approach to the old and growing problem. They’ve worked out how to process pretty much any type of waste using power produced by the garbage itself, how cool is that? The technology is called Plasma Gasification; it is eco-friendly and produces clean energy and useful byproducts.

Though plasma processing is not new, this technology constitutes a new twist on an old favorite. The Plasma Converter breaks complex components down into their elemental atoms. Two electrodes in a sealed stainless steel vessel get charged with high voltage, ripping electrons from the air and converting the gas into plasma. The energy of the plasma arc can reach over 30,000 degrees F; when the waste meets this intense energy the matter breaks down into its components by stripping the valence electrons from the atoms and ripping apart the molecular bonds. At the end of the process previously toxic and hazardous materials become safe products such as plasma-converted gas (syngas), obsidian-like silicates and recyclable metals.

This is a very attractive prospect for cities who pay large fees to transport and store garbage; one StarTech unit can handle about 2,000 tons of trash per day. Michael Nuzzi of US Energy says:

“New York City is already paying an astronomical $90 a ton to get rid of its trash. According to Startech, a few 2,000-ton-per-day plasma-gasification plants could do it for $36. Sell the syngas and surplus electricity, and you’d actually net $15 a ton. Gasification is not just environmentally friendly, it’s a good business decision.”

Now that’s great garbage!