Using garbage to heat your home?

[freeEnergy4me]

It seems like a lot of my garbage is either paper or plastic or some combination of both. I typically bag it and put it out to be burnt by the city.

I'm guessing this is quite a waste considering how much I put out.

It seems like this material overtime could be used to heat my home. Obviously one bag would burn in a short amount of time, but I'm guessing if there were a way to compact the garbage into pellets or such that it would last a lot longer.

Anyone use their garbage to heat their home? Or generate electricity??

[DamonHD]

Unfortunately, if you burn that stuff at normal/low temperatures you'll liberate lots of toxic stuff, such as dioxins, and particulates such as soot.

There are commercial waste-to-power incineration plants, but they are understandably not exactly welcomed with open arms by the neighbours, and that's even given that they scrub the nasties out of the flue gases and are properly controlled and monitored.

I suggest that you don't do it unless, for example, you are in open countryside and can pick out just the paper/card/organics to burn and can do it at a high temperature and check that the process that you are using is safe, and legal where you are.

I am not an expert.

Rgds

Damon

[Janne]

Hi!

We have a log fired boiler in our home.. garbage burns nicely when fired with smaller firewood. But i doubt it would work in a fireplace, you almost definitely need a boilers high heat to burn garbage cleanly and efficiently.

[BigBreaker]

Some problems with burning plastic are solved by using high heat, but some are not.  Many types of plastic use heavy metals additives that you REALLY do not want to liberate into the air you breathe.  Seriously bad idea.

[freeEnergy4me]

Thanx for your comments. It does seem like we waste a lot of energy in what we throw out.

[DamonHD]

Agreed,

But other than the organic bits (which you could compost or burn), I don't think home incineration is wise.

I'm still not an expert, though!

Rgds

Damon

[TomW]

4me;

 we waste a lot of energy in what we throw out.

There is this thing they call "recycling".

There is this other thing called "Don't buy crap with excess packaging".

There is yet another thing called "composting".

Thats where you start. Simple simple. Get that figured out and you suddenly have little to no "garbage".

Just what we do here. Makes lots more sense than "dealing" with garbage. Just don't create it.

TomW

[electronbaby]

The whole point is to not have any garbage. Tom is right and im sure a whole lot of folks here would agree. Your going in the wrong direction. conserve, recycle, compost. Although its hard, i try not to purchase things with plastic that cant be reused or recycled. burning paper is one thing. I strongly advise against burning plastic.

[zeusmorg]

 To add to this, if you're burning any substances that could produce noxious chemicals(such as plastics) better not let the EPA catch you doing it...or state...or locals.

[ArmedAndDangerous]

You can preach all you want about recuding the garbage that you create, but the fact is, those that care enough to do it are few and far between. Personally, I make lots of garbage as well and don't feel bad about it. But if I can use it for something I definately should.

That said I do not think you should burn plastic. I seperate paper/carboard garbage and throw away the rest. In the past I burned it in a barrel just to keep warm when working on things outside. I'm putting the finishing touches on a wood pool heater which should burn at least half cardboard no problem. I've never calculated it, but there is an enourmous amount of BTUs in the paper/cardboard garbage I produce.

[joestue]

A lot of plastics are chlorinated, not just pvc, and when you burn them, you release hydrogen chloride into the air, which instantly recombines with the water to form muriatic acid.

In addition, flame retardants, most commonly bromated compounds, reduce the heat of combustion enough to cause the low combustion issue.

I don't have any information about heavy metal use, but most plastics are a mix of chemicals, and if you don't like unburnt hydrocarbons, don't burn plastic.

[freeEnergy4me]

I agree. A lot of the paper I get is mailers I don't ask for. Cardboard from food packages and the like.

I don't have excessive garbage, but at least 90% is paper/plastic related. And the rest is either wood, metal or organic (which I toss out to the squirrels).

It just seems like in times of high cost energy that all this garbage could be used perhaps to heat my home instead of being incinerated at the local dump anyway.