Innovation is not an abstract concept, but a desirable mindset. You've probably heard the expression, "Thinking outside the box," but how willing are you to put aside all your preconceived notions and actually do it? True innovators make it habit. Their typical modus operandi is to view problems from every angle and brainstorm until [...]
It takes a village to solve the looming CCR storage issue. In all discussions of coal ash disposition — either through beneficial reuse or keeping it intact but contained — the overriding concern is safety. The cap-in-place solution has been solidly debunked from a safety standpoint. The market for beneficial use of coal ash [...]
Maximize Innovation Before Resorting to Traditional Methods In 2008, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s dike containing its coal ash failed, allowing approximately 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash to spread over 300 acres and into the Emory River. Since then, the problem that coal ash represents for the U.S. has only gotten worse. Constant battles [...]
EnCAP-IT is exhibiting at the Environmental Show of the South next week May 15 - 17, 2019. The Environmental Show of the South is the largest and most comprehensive environmental conference and tradeshow in the region. Being held at: Chattanooga Convention Center1 Carter Place,Chattanooga, TN Come by and see us! (Booth 308) [...]
K.I.S.S. Applies to Coal Ash Solutions Imagine a community facing the dual crisis of severely dwindling solid waste disposal capacity at the same time its electric utility has been ordered by a federal judge to excavate and move a hazardous legacy coal ash pond to a lined landfill. Unfortunately, this isn’t fantasy. Nashville, Tennessee, [...]
Life Beyond: Old Dumping Grounds are Ripe for Adaptive Reuse Communities with areas in decline have embraced the concept of adaptive reuse to restore historic buildings and reclaim their decaying or abandoned urban landscape. Such projects involve salvaging as much of the existing building material as possible and repurposing it in new ways to make [...]
Is a landfill an asset? The number of landfills in the U.S. is decreasing, resulting in dwindling airspace available to hold our waste. If you own a landfill, you must ask, “Is my landfill an asset or a liability?” Despite recycling and Zero Waste initiatives across the county, the volume of waste generated hasn’t [...]
Change is Coming – Solutions Must be Ready Earthquakes Floods Hurricanes Our planet, especially here in the southeastern and eastern U.S., is being subjected to an onslaught of extreme weather events, such as freak earthquakes, massive floods and devastating hurricanes. These events generate a steady flow of new concerns about the environment. Protection against [...]
Hey, Power Industry, Welcome to the Waste Industry! The unbreakable thread running through all arguments about CCR over the years is this: CCR is waste. Like any waste, it should adhere to a certain methodology that has been developed by the waste industry. The U.S. waste industry has structured its business model around the EPA’s [...]
The Only Problem with the Unencapsulated Beneficial Use Definition is the Word “Unencapsulated” In public debate over the best disposition of legacy coal ash (CCR), the phrase “uncapsulated beneficial use” is used. However, “uncapsulated” solutions, such as mixing loose CCR into soil or spreading large quantities as fill on construction sites without environmental safeguards, [...]
