Re: “Garbage is piled so high, Snohomish County dumps need to close before trash combusts”:
A solution not discussed in the article is Waste to Energy (WTE).
There is a huge amount of potential energy in our trash. Plastic, which is made from petroleum, has more potential British thermal unit (BTUs) than coal. Sophisticated, high-tech incineration plants that operate at extremely high temperatures can produce needed electricity and separate metals in the process.
Landfills have their problems. They produce methane, a major greenhouse gas. They sometimes leak, contaminating ground water, and shipping overseas has proved no longer viable.
Spokane has one of about than 70 U.S. WTE facilities. Europe has about 350 of these facilities. With Russian gas being cut off in the European Union, the energy produced by these facilities is especially valuable today.
A 2017 study for King County “recommended that the County consider WTE in their future plans as an appropriate option to address the County’s long-term solid waste management needs.” Clearly, Snohomish County needs to consider this option as well.
Don Van Valkenburg, Woodinville