Waste Management 2008 Annual Report Download - page 39
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Please find page 39 of the 2008 Waste Management annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.were capable of processing up to 21,100 tons of solid waste each day. In 2008, our waste-to-energy facilities
received and processed 7.0 million tons of solid waste, or approximately 19,200 tons per day.
Our IPPs convert various waste and conventional fuels into steam. The plants burn wood waste, anthracite coal
waste (culm), tires, landfill gas and natural gas. These facilities are integral to the solid waste industry, disposing of
urban wood, waste tires, railroad ties and utility poles. Our anthracite culm facility in Pennsylvania processes the
waste materials left over from coal mining operations from over half a century ago. Ash remaining after burning the
culm is used to reclaim the land damaged by decades of coal mining.
We sell the steam produced at our waste-to-energy facilities and IPPs to industrial and commercial users.
Steam that is not sold is used to generate electricity for sale to electric utilities. Fees charged for steam and
electricity at our waste-to-energy facilities and IPPs are generally subject to the terms and conditions of long-term
contracts that include interim adjustments to the prices charged for changes in market conditions such as inflation,
natural gas prices and other general market factors.
Recycling. Our WMRA Group focuses on improving the sustainability and future growth of recycling
programs within communities and industries. In addition to our WMRA Group, our four geographic operating
Groups provide certain recycling services that are embedded within the Groups’ other operations and, therefore, are
not included within the WMRA Group’s financial results.
Recycling involves the separation of reusable materials from the waste stream for processing and resale or
other disposition. Our recycling operations include the following:
Collection and materials processing — Through our collection operations, we collect recyclable mate-
rials from residential, commercial and industrial customers and direct these materials to one of our material
recovery facilities (“MRFs”) for processing. We operate 98 MRFs where paper, metals and plastics are
recovered for resale. We also operate six secondary processing facilities where materials received from MRFs
can be further processed into raw products used in the manufacturing of consumer goods. Specifically, material
processing services include data destruction, automated color sorting, and construction and demolition
processing.
Plastics and rubber materials recycling — Using state-of-the-art sorting and processing technology, we
process, inventory and sell plastic and rubber commodities making the recycling of such items more cost
effective and convenient.
Electronics recycling services — We recycle discarded computers, communications equipment, and
other electronic equipment. Services include the collection, sorting and disassembling of electronics in an
effort to reuse or recycle all collected materials.
Commodities recycling — We market and resell recyclable commodities to customers world-wide. We
manage the marketing of recyclable commodities for our own facilities and for third parties by maintaining
comprehensive service centers that continuously analyze market prices, logistics, market demands and product
quality.
Fees for recycling services are influenced by frequency of collection, type and volume or weight of the
recyclable material, degree of processing required, the market value of the recovered material and other market
factors.
Our WMRA Group purchases recyclable materials processed in our MRFs from various sources, including
third parties and other operating subsidiaries of WMI. The cost per ton of material purchased is based on market
prices and the cost to transport the finished goods to our customers. The price our WMRA Group pays for recyclable
materials is often referred to as a “rebate.” Rebates are generally based upon the price we receive for sales of
finished goods and market conditions, but in some cases are based on fixed contractual rates or defined minimum
per-ton rates. As a result, changes in commodity prices can significantly affect our revenues, the rebates we pay to
our suppliers and our operating income and margins.
Other. We provide in-plant services, in which employees of our Upstream organization work full-time inside
our customers’ facilities to provide full-service waste management solutions. Our vertically integrated waste
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