Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

I was amazed when the Manteca Bulletin had a headline that read Manteca was requesting federal funds to buy a co-generation plant to burn biogases produced by the digester system at the Manteca wastewater treatment plant.

The city should look into uPgrading the Lovelace waste transfer station and turning it into a refuse burning electrical generator power plant like they have in Honolulu, Hawaii. They receive all kinds of garbage from the island of Oahu both commercial and residential. There they sort it out removing metals and other non-materials that will not burn. These are then bailed and sold as recycled goods. Then the remaining refuse is conveyered through a hammer mill process thus pulverizing the product into smaller pieces. They then run through a screening drum separating the various sizes of materials. The materials are then run into a boiler unit to produce steam that in turn runs a steam turbine generator which produces power for the electrical grid.

The aftermath of the burning process of smoke is then ran through a scrubbing system and exhausted into the air. The boilers run so hot that there is very little emissions from the smoke stack. The ash that is left over is then trucked to a landfill.

This is a win-win situation, approximately 26 truckloads of garbage equal 1 truckload of ashes. This would decrease the amount of space taken at the landfill which is already over burdened.

The plant would have a receiving area where trucks are unloaded and the refuse then is placed on a conveyor system and metals, cans, plastic bottles etc. could be removed from the line. The remaining refuse is then hammer-milled, screened then burned.

The metals, cans, and bottles can be recycled and sold. The cost to dump is normally less than going to the landfill. Also we can’t forget the monies received from the generation of electrical power. All in all the city could prosper from this venture both lowering the cost of garbage services to the citizens of Manteca and employment for approximately 100 to 120 employees.

At this day and time we need to look into alternate forms of electrical energy. Right now all we are doing is burying our refuse and creating ecohazards! I would love to have a sit down meeting with the mayor and city council and discuss the idea with them.