The process of burning garbage to generate power, known as waste-to-energy, is among the cleanest sources of electrical power in North America. Converting garbage to energy reduces the volume of the garbage used by 90 percent, saving space in local landfills while providing a viable and economical alternative to the use of fossil and nuclear fuels.

For more than 25 years, Wheelabrator Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Waste Management, has been one of the most successful developers, owners and operators of commercial waste- to- energy projects on the continent. Pioneering the commercial waste- to- energy industry, Wheelabrator built the first privately initiated plant in 1975. Since then the company has processed over 110 million tonnes of municipal solid waste, converting the waste into more than 60 billion kilowatt-hours of clean, reliable electric energy and operates 17 waste-to-energy facilities in North America. Clean renewable energy is also generated from Waste Management's landfill gas-to-energy projects, which minimize emissions of greenhouse gases as well as generate enough energy to power 160,000 homes each day - the equivalent of nearly 5 million barrels of oil per year.

We are engaged in a joint research effort with regulatory agencies to determine which practices best promote the safe operation of large-scale bioreator landfills. Our goal is to make Waste Management's many landfill gas-to-energy programs even more efficient - while making landfills last longer for our communities.

Through our many environmental programs, Waste Management is becoming a greener company every day. The Chicago Climate Exchange agrees. That's why they brought us on board as a founding member of the U.S. pilot program to promote the trading of greenhouse gas emission credits which companies who limit or eliminate harmful CO2 emissions earn.

Not only are these reductions in greenhouse gases good for the environment, we also use these credits to demonstrate our commitment to corporate stewardship. For example, with our donations the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics was the first Olympics in modern history to have zero impact on the environment.