Today, we visited a paper recycling plant and waste-to-energy facility. In the paper recycling plant, a process engineer walked us through the building and showed us how the recycled paper was processed, sent to the "pulper," gradually treated to remove the moisture content, and ultimately turned into paper. It was amazing to see how much paper the facilities produced and how efficient the entire process was (about 95% of paper products that come into the facility are recycled into paper). Similarly, the waste-to-energy facility was incredibly interesting (and smelly). One of the engineers took us around to see the different composting processes as well as a separate facility that managed anaerobic composting to produce biogas and convert other waste to energy. This facility was incredibly intricate and made me truly realize the complexity of the process of creating energy from waste. I found it particularly interesting that they were able to sell their compost for 2 euros per ton. During the tour, the engineer said that it costs them over 130 euro to create each ton of compost but the company makes money from taxes and subsidies. As a whole, the site visits were very interesting. I am excited to learn more about waste management and continue to explore the city as well as the rest of the island.
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