Wheelabrator Technologies is an industry leader in the safe and environmentally sound conversion of municipal solid waste (MSW) — and other renewable waste fuels — into clean energy. Wheelabrator pioneered the energy-from-waste (EfW) industry in the U.S. when it designed, built and operated the first commercially successful facility in 1975.

Wheelabrator's Performance Highlights:

• Performance Record: Wheelabrator has a 39-year track record of providing reliable, EfW services to hundreds of customers.
• Highest OSHA Safety Distinction: 16 Wheelabrator facilities are OSHA VPP Star Worksite certified, a distinction earned by less than .03% of the seven million regulated workplaces in the U.S.
• Maintains Permits in Good Standing: Wheelabrator has maintained all environmental permits in good standing under stringent federal and state regulatory standards at each of its facilities.

Since 1975, Wheelabrator has:

• Processed more than 200 million tons of MSW
• Generated 108.6 billion kWh of energy
• Recovered and recycled more than 3.3 million tons of metals that would otherwise go to landfills

Wheelabrator today is:

• Owned by energy-focused private equity firm, Energy Capital Partners
• 1200 employees
• 15 EfW facilities: 584 MW; 20,000 tons per day; 480,000 homes powered
• 4 independent power plants: 184 MW; 165,000 homes powered
• Represents total combined electric generating capacity of 768 MW—enough energy to power more than 645,000 homes
• 1 EfW facility under construction in the U.K.: 69 MW; 2,000 tons per day (1,500 tonnes per day)
• 4 ash landfills
• 3 transfer stations
• Delivers highly reliable renewable energy
• In 2014, Wheelabrator’s energy plants:
  • Processed more than 7.1 million tons of waste
  • Generated 5.4 billion kwh of clean energy
  • Recovered and recycled 147,000 tons of ferrous and non-ferrous metals

Our EfW facilities provide safe post-recycled MSW disposal for towns and cities across the U.S. These facilities deliver clean, renewable electric power to major utilities for distribution to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. As valued corporate citizens and neighbors, Wheelabrator facilities contribute to the economic and civic vitality of their host communities.

Wheelabrator also operates a variety of independent power plants designed to generate electricity using an assortment of fuels, including waste wood, waste coal and natural gas. In addition to producing electricity, some of these facilities also produce steam sold to nearby government and commercial establishments.

Company History

One Hundred Years of Innovation

1908 - 1913

Founded in 1908, in Ohio, Wheelabrator operates under the name of the Sand Mixing Machine Company. In 1910, the company becomes the American Foundry Equipment Company and introduces the first industrial air pollution central devise. Known as the "American Dust Arrestor," its fabric screens trapped dust particles from foundry casting cleaning operations. This innovation leads to an entire product line, which later evolves into the introduction of a new company called the Wheelabrator Air Production Control Company (Wheelabrator APC).

1932

Wheelabrator develops the airless centrifugal wheel, a rapidly spinning wheel designed to hurl abrasives at steel, concrete, and other industrial surfaces needing cleaning. Coined as the "Wheel + Abrator," the invention of the airless centrifugal wheel, leads to the birth of the Wheelabrator Corporation. (The Wheelabrator triangle logo is a stylized version of that device.)

1960's

In th late 1960s, Wheelabrator and Frye Industries, a print ink and copy paper manufacturer, merges and becomes Wheelabrator-Frye Inc.

1970's

The passage of the Federal Clean Air Act spurs on the demand of Wheelabrator's air-pollution control equipment. The Act also mandates the discovery of alternative technologies to replace old, pollution waste incinerators. In 1972, after several small acquisitions, Wheelabrator-Frye acquires Rust Engineering Company, a leading designer and builder of pulp and plants. This move proves to be the most pivotal in creating the Wheelabrator of today. The acquisition of Rust, which holds licenses with the Swiss engineering firm, Von Roll AC, helps Wheelabrator become a pioneer in the waste-to-energy industry.

By adopting Von Roll's refuse-grate technology, already proven throughout Europe since the mid-1950s, Wheelabrator opens the first commercially successful waste-to-energy facility in the U.S. in 1975. Located in Saugus, Massachusetts, Wheelabrator continues to serve Massachusetts' North Shore communities.

Over the next 25 years, the company becomes the nation's most successful municipal waste-to-energy contractor. Widely known as the innovator of energy recovery technologies, operational procedures and air quality control systems, Wheelabrator sets new standards for reliable design, construction and safe operation of waste-to-energy facilities

1982

Decades of growth leads to a merger with The Signal Companies, Inc., based in La Jolla, California. Hampton, New Hampshire, becomes the headquarters of Signal Engineered Products Group, one of the two main operating units of the company. Midwest operations of Signal, Universal Oil Products (UOP), holds U.S. licenses with a German company for waste combustion furnace and grate technologies that rivals Wheelabrator's system. As a result of the merger, Wheelabrator acquires several former UOP waste-to-energy projects and the UOP German licenses were divested.

1985

Signal merges with Allied Corporation to create Allied Signal Inc., which later decided to streamline its operations by spinning off some assets into a new company, The Henley Group, Inc.

1987

Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. emerges as a publicly traded company offering leading waste-to-energy services. These services include: full-service engineering and construction services; diverse manufacturing capabilities; large- and small-scale air quality control systems; independent power plant development; coal handling and transportation projects; and water and wastewater treatment operations and equipment.

Late 1980's

Wheelabrator enters the independent power production (IPP) market with the construction and operation of small power plants primarily using waste fuels such as wood.

In July 1988, Wheelabrator and Waste Management Inc., North America's leading provider of integrated environmental solutions, enters into a merger agreement to acquire common stock shares of WTI amounting to a 22% ownership interest.

1990

Wheelabrator becomes a majority-owned subsidiary of Waste Management.

2014

Wheelabrator is acquired by energy-focused private equity firm, Energy Capital Partners.

Today

Wheelabrator's energy-from-waste projects currently total 15 facilities nationwide with a combined processing capacity of more than 20,000 tons per day of municipal solid waste and an electric generating capacity of 584 megawatts (MW).

Wheelabrator's four independent power plants have the generating capacity to produce an additional 184 MW of clean electricity. Combined, Wheelabrator's facilities provide enough clean electricity to power more than 645,000 homes.

Special Waste Services

Wheelabrator’s Special Waste Services are safe and effective

Wheelabrator facilities meet all federal, state and local regulations and permit requirements. Performed efficiently and supervised carefully by highly trained technicians, these services meet or exceed strict standards set by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). For 30 years, we've supervised the complete and compliant destruction of confidential and controlled materials. These include:  

Defective, damaged, recalled or outdated consumer products including, but limited to, health and beauty aids, prescription and over-the-counter medication, food and beverage items, household cleaners, paint, small appliances and electronics.

Confidential or sensitive documents in paper, tape or CD-ROM form containing medical or financial records, government agency and embassy files, legal documents, confidential business information, currency, postage stamps and other high-risk documents.

Contraband confiscated by federal, state or local law enforcement agencies such as illegal drugs, weapons, and patent and trademark infringement products.

Pharmaceutical or laboratory waste including, but limited to, active pharmaceutical ingredients, off-spec raw materials or finished products, production overruns, damaged, contaminated or mislabeled packaging, expired pharmaceuticals, returned products and non-hazardous lab packs.

Other non-hazardous manufacturing or industrial waste such as trimmings, production overruns, off-spec materials, packaging and clean-up debris.

USDA-regulated international waste from cruise ships, seaports and airports.

Safety on Purpose

Our Commitment: Safety on Purpose

Wheelabrator believes safety is the cornerstone for the company's success. Safety is the adhesive that bonds our operating principles together and is an essential ingredient necessary for achieving our goal of operational excellence. We believe every incident is preventable and we will provide the tools, training and time to perform every task safely. Nothing we do will be placed at a higher level of importance than our responsibility to protect the welfare of every worker.

Our employees are Wheelabrator's most valuable resource. We encourage the active involvement of all employees in promoting a positive safety culture. We believe working safely and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace is a condition of employment each one of us shares. 

Environment

Wheelabrator is committed to protecting public health and the environment. This commitment is reflected in the services we provide to our customers, the design and operation of our facilities, the conditions under which employees work, and our interactions with the communities where we live and do business. We are responsible stewards of the environment and protect the health and well being of our employees and neighbors.  

What is Waste-to-Energy?

Waste-to-energy is a clean, renewable, efficient, and economical form of energy production an post-recycled waste disposal that also helps the U.S. achieve energy independence and decrease reliance on fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, to generate electricity.

Waste-to-energy facilities use municipal solid waste (MSW) as a fuel to generate renewable energy in almost the same way that traditional power plants produce electricity. The U.S. EPA has said waste-to-energy facilities produce electricity "with less environment impact than almost any other source of electricity" and "communities greatly benefit from dependable, sustainable capacity of municipal waste-to-energy plants."

Modern waste-to-energy facilities use proven technology to take everyday post-recycled waste and convert it into clean, renewable energy by feeding mixed municipal solid waste into large power boilers through controlled combustion. The resulting heat energy produces steam, which turns a turbine-generator to produce electricity. The process of converting waste into energy is a key part of an integrated materials management plan that focuses on reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery of energy.

Waste-to-Energy and Environmental Regulation

Federal and State Regulatory Agencies oversee, inspect and enforce regulations to protect public health and the environment. These Agencies are empowered to revoke environmental and operating permits at facilities that have been determined to cause harm to the environment or to public health.

Waste-to-Energy and Recycling

Communities across the U.S. have turned to source reduction, recycling and waste-to-energy to manage their municipal solid waste. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of trash recycled has grown from 10 percent to a national average of more than 30 percent. At the local level, communities with waste-to-energy plants have an average recycling rate of more than 33 percent, 10 percent higher than the national average. In addition, waste-to-energy facilities annually recycle more than 700,000 tons of ferrous metals and another 450,000 tons of glass, metals, paper, plastics, yard waste, etc.

Waste-to-Energy and Climate Change

The innovative technologies used in waste-to-energy facilities help create a sustainable energy system, significantly reduce dependence on foreign oil supplies and ensure a safer environment for the future. Many scientists believe emissions of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases” are leading to unusually high warming of the atmosphere or “global warming.” The U.S. Department of Energy has labeled waste-to-energy technology as a major part of a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the united states.

Key Achievements/Milestones

Wheelabrator is leading the change in producing clean, renewable energy from waste fuels. As a pioneer, Wheelabrator opened the first commercially successful waste-to-energy facility in the U.S. in 1975 and has accomplished many industry leading milestones and achievements.