The Robert Moses Middle School Environmental Club took a trip to Covanta Babylon
in West Babylon to witness firsthand how the company breaks down waste in a safe way.
Students met with the Covanta team, took a tour of the facility and were educated on its
day-to-day operations.
They learned about the facilities waste-to-energy approach, which takes non-
hazardous waste, otherwise destined for landfill, and combusts it to generate steam for
electricity production. Students witnessed the crane scooping garbage and putting it in the
hopper (burner). They also went to the control room and saw all of the facilities'
operations being monitored. While ash is processed to recover metal for recycling, all gases
are collected, filtered and cleaned to minimize environmental impact. In essence, they are
burning trash, and at the same time creating energy with no negative effects to the earth.
