State Reps. Brian Lanoue and Doug Dubitsky Tour Wheelabrator in Lisbon

Photo: State Representative Brian Lanoue and Rep. Doug Dubitsky look over a sample fabric filter. These filters are used to prevent loose particles from going into the stack and being released back out into the air.

LISBON – State Representative Doug Dubitsky (R-47) and Rep. Brian Lanoue (R-45) got a first-hand look into how Wheelabrator Technologies, a Lisbon trash-to-energy company, is turning up to 500 tons of everyday residential and business waste into reusable electricity.

The lawmakers joined members of the general public as part of an annual open house to meet with employees, learn more about the company, and tour the facility. During the event, they were able to see how the plant benefits local municipalities and the environment by processing part of the 3.3 million tons of garbage Connecticut generates each year into a usable energy source.

“It is good to see that our district’s municipal waste is being converted into much needed power in such a clean and efficiently run plant,” Representative Dubitsky said. “Just like everyone should know where their food is grown before they buy it in the grocery store, everyone should also know where their trash goes when it leaves their houses. Touring the Wheelabrator plant in Lisbon was very enlightening about the processes used to maintain our state’s waste stream.”

“I would like to thank Wheelabrator for inviting Rep. Dubitsky and I to their facility for a meet-and-greet, a tour of the facility, and an informative presentation about their history and mission,” Rep. Lanoue said. “They employ 35 hardworking, passionate individuals who take pride in their work. I look forward to additional business tours throughout the 45th District in the coming weeks and months.”

About 64 percent of Connecticut’s trash is burned to generate electricity, 28 percent is recycled and the remaining 8 percent is sent out of state. In total, Wheelabrator’s furnaces consume 95 percent of the refuse they burn. The residual five percent is then sent to a single stream ash plant in Putnam for disposal.

As part of the trash-to-energy process, Wheelabrator is able to generate up to 15 Mega Watts of clean energy — enough to power their own facility’s needs while selling the remaining electricity to Eversource for distribution across the national electrical grid.

According to Wheelabrator, since its inception more than 40 years ago, their facilities have maintained their environmental permits and also continuously exceeded, on average by four to five times, the environmental standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.