Vol. 4, No. 3 Winter 2007A PUBLICATION OF WHEELABRATOR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

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SUPPORTINGSMARTER SCHOOLS

Page 8

RIGHT AT HOME

New employee from Saugusfits right in at Wheelabrator

Waste Management donationprovides SMART Boards

BY MEAGHAN CASEY

On a damp and misty day in October, thegrounds of Wheelabrator Saugus teemed withcrew members from a local productioncompany, shooting footage of the plant andtaking an in-depth look at the waste-to-energyprocess.

The filming was for a cable television

series. Powderhouse Productions, based inSomerville, was preparing a 10-minute pilot topresent for a new show, “The Works,” toappear on the History Channel.

If Powderhouse’s concept airs, the Saugusplant is hoping to make a little history of itsown.

The facility would be predominantly

BY DAVID LISCIO

Ann Witzig is convinced that the Bear CreekWildlife Sanctuary adjacent to the WheelabratorSaugus waste-to-energy plant in Saugusis key to the regionalflight path taken bymigratory birds.

“It has become animportant stopover,”said Witzig, whoteaches advanced-placementenvironmental andmarine sciences at theEssex AgriculturalHigh School inDanvers. “Just havingthe sanctuary there isimproving speciesdiversity. We’vealready heard from the Audubon Society, whichdoes counts at least twice a year, that manyspecies are up in numbers.”

Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuaryis where learning

takes flight

A production crew shot footage at Wheelabrator Saugus for a History Channel show on waste-to-energy.From left, Juan Rodriguez, Brendan Lattrell, Jason Longo and Bill Lattanzi. PHOTO: MEAGHAN CASEY

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Wheelabrator

Saugus

set to star

in TV series

Environmental scienceteacher Ann Witzigconducts a lesson.

A PUBLICATION OF:Wheelabrator Saugus, J.V.

H. Bruce ManningRegional Vice President

John O’RourkePlant Manager

Wheelabrator Saugus, J.V.100 Salem TurnpikeSaugus, MA 01906

Tel. (781) 233-7600Fax (781) 231-2793

www.wheelabratortechnologies.com

GRANT COMMUNICATIONS

CONSULTING GROUPBoston/New York(781) 598-8200

e-mail: gccg@grantgroup.com

PRODUCED BY:

2—— Wheelabrator Saugus News FFaallll 22000077

Learning never stops at WheelabratorAlthough many people may not

realize it, education plays a key rolein what we do at WheelabratorSaugus.

It is important for us to continuallyeducate members of the community,especially students, on what happensto the trash that is placed on the curbin the morning and gone at night. Itbenefits you and us when we canreinforce the fact that waste-to-energyis a clean, efficient andenvironmentally responsible processthat results in renewable energy.

We are proud that our facility – theplant and the adjacent Bear CreekWildlife Sanctuary – serves as aclassroom of sorts for students fromelementary school to college. In thisedition of Wheelabrator Saugus

News, you will read about highschool students who use our wildlifesanctuary as a place to studyenvironmental science and collegestudents who toured the plant toexplore the relationship between

product consumption and trashgeneration.

In keeping with the theme of theimportance of education, we arepleased to have provided newSMART Boards for the OaklandvaleSchool, thanks to the generosity of theWaste Management CharitableFoundation. Thanks to WasteManagement, our parent company,Oaklandvale students are equippedwith one of the key tools of 21stcentury learning.

All of us at Wheelabrator Sauguswish you and yours an enjoyable andsafe holiday season.

John O’Rourke is plant manager ofWheelabrator Saugus.

JOHN O’ROURKE

WheelabratorSaugus

Quick FactsOperating since 1975,Wheelabrator Saugus is the United States' first commercially successfulwaste-to-energy facility.The plant processes up to 1500 tons per day of municipal solid wastefrom communities on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

First-class mechanic Agostinho Moreira concentrates on the job at Wheelabrator Saugus. Moreira has been working at theplant since 1976.

It benefits you and us when we can reinforce that waste-to-energy is

a clean, efficient and environmentally responsible

process that results inrenewable energy.

”

“

All in a hard day’s work at Wheelabrator Saugus

Wheelabrator Saugus News WWiinntteerr 22000077 —— 3

BY MEAGHAN CASEY

Students at the Oaklandvale Elementary School aresaying thanks a thousand — times nine.

The students received a $9,000-boost in technologythanks to a grant from the Waste ManagementCharitable Foundation. Linda Sapienza, SaugusBusiness Education Collaborative board member anddirector of community relations for WheelabratorTechnologies, Inc. secured the grant for the school.

“We’re so grateful for Wheelabrator’s support,” saidOaklandvale Principal Kathy Stanton. “They’vealways been good to us and the students of Saugus.”

The grant money was used to upgrade technologyat the Oaklandvale School, supplying classrooms withcomputers and SMART Boards, which are touch-sensitive interactive white boards. Teachers andstudents can write on the boards with electronic pensand can navigate Web sites or documents with thetouch of a finger.

“It’s such an amazing tool for teaching andlearning,” said Stanton.

“It’s so impressive to see what kids can do with

technology today,” said Wheelabrator Saugus PlantManager John O’Rourke, who visited Oaklandvaleclassrooms in November to check out the newtechnology. “These students are the future engineers,teachers and business people in our communities. It’sour job to do anything we can to help supply themwith the tools they need to succeed.”

The Waste Management Charitable Foundation wasestablished by Waste Management, Inc. to supportpublic charities throughout the U.S., focusingspecifically on towns and communities where itsfacilities are located. Waste Management —Wheelabrator’s parent company — is the leadingprovider of comprehensive waste and environmentalservices in North America. Based in Houston, thecompany serves municipal, commercial, industrial andresidential customers throughout North America.

In 2006, Wheelabrator secured a foundation grantthat was used to supply every classroom at theWaybright Elementary School with new iMaccomputers and Internet wiring. The funds were alsoused to integrate Study Island, a Web-based MCASpreparation program, in the school.

Waste Management, Wheelabrator

bring new technology to Oaklandvale

Third-graders Alyssa Filappone, left, and Chris McGranepost a thank-you message (center photo) to Wheelabrator.

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Wheelabrator Saugus Plant Manager John O’Rourke, left, visited Carol D’Angelo’s fifth-grade class at the Oaklandvale School to look at the SMART Boards.

Wheelabrator Saugus News WWiinntteerr 22000077 —— 54 —Wheelabrator Saugus News WWiinntteerr 22000077

BY DAVID LISCIO

Students at North Shore Community College pursuing a degree ingerontology were given a tour of the Wheelabrator Saugus waste-to-energy facility and its abutting wildlife sanctuary.

Why? To show them the relationship between product consumption andtrash generation on a scale that most of their elderly patients will perhapsrecognize, but not fully comprehend.

Tom MacLachlan of Amesbury, the college instructor, pointed out thatmany citizens now in their golden years grew up at a time in U.S. historywhen little if any thought was given to consumption, waste disposal orpollution. Recycling simply did not exist as a concept. Disposability wastantamount, convenience a key selling point.

In those days, a dump was just that – a hole in the ground where youtossed items no longer needed or wanted – vs. a state-of-the-art landfillthat protects the ground water by encapsulating the contents.

Ed McCarthy of Saugus, Wheelabrator Saugus day-shift supervisor,said the waste entering the plant on a daily basis is voluminous, areflection of a society that throws away plenty.

By burning the waste in high-efficiency, power boilers, its volume isreduced by 90 percent, McCarthy said. Environmental requirementscurrently prohibit the facility from accepting automobile tires, televisionsets, computer monitors, construction debris, and organic yard material

such as grass and leaves. Trucks entering the plant must declare their cargomanifests. In other words, they must attest truthfully to what they arecarrying.

To ensure the enforcement process is taken seriously, plant inspectorsrandomly order incoming trash trucks to dump their loads on what’sknown as the tipping floor, an expanse of concrete surrounded by wallsand roof, where overhead cranes scoop and lift the waste into chutes thatlead to the furnace. If a truck is carrying prohibited goods, the waste isreloaded onto the truck and warnings typically ensue, along with possiblefines.

The community college students got an up-close look at the sortingoperation during their tour.

“I never knew what was in here, and I live in town,” said student CaroleKrech of Saugus, referring to the waste-to-energy operation. “Now I haveto be careful what I put out to the curb.”

Other students noted that the trash collection crews in their communitiesno longer haul away computer monitors or television sets. The reason:These appliances contain lead behind the glass as a protective screenagainst dangerous microwaves.

Unfortunately, prohibition on certain goods, including appliances suchas stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers, has led to an increase in illegaldumping, McCarthy said. Despite the challenges caused by the ban on

certain materials, the situation is slowly resolving itself as cottageindustries spring up to recycle those items.

Having toured the waste-to-energy plant, the NSCC students headed forthe adjacent Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, where Peter Young talkedcandidly about why the nature preserve was created and how it’sinextricably linked to the landfill.

Young is a professional forester and a NSCC professor, where he works20 hours a week. He spends equal time each week working forWheelabrator Technologies as overseer and educational coordinator at thewildlife sanctuary. His academic resume includes 60 credits toward adoctoral degree and 37 years of teaching experience.

“I’ve become an environmental entrepreneur,” said Young, explainingto the students that private companies are emerging to solve environmentalproblems, such as what to do with a landfill or a polluted river. “Thissanctuary is an example of a successful solution to an environmentalchallenge. What we’ve done here is mimicked a coastal maritime forest,and our claim to fame is that it has attracted migratory birds to the site.”

In collaboration with Wheelabrator Technologies and the AudubonSociety, the wildlife sanctuary has blossomed, so that it now containsspecies such as the ring-neck pheasant, which were introduced and arealready breeding. Other prevalent species include mink, muskrat, fox,coyote, raccoon and skunks.

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Students DonnaD’Agostino, left, andShella DeMosthenelisten during a tour ofthe plant.

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6—— Wheelabrator Saugus News WWiinntteerr 22000077

Learning takes flight at Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary

featured in an episode entitled, “Where YourGarbage Goes.”

“We came up with a list of 50 topics andwe decided on trash was it because it’svisual,” said Powderhouse Creative DirectorBill Lattanzi. “It’s something everyonethinks about, but they don’t reallyunderstand.”

Lattanzi and his crew focused on thebehind-the-scenes process of waste removaland renewal.

“We wanted to show the whole cycle,cradle to cradle — what you don’t see afteryou throw something away,” he said. “Westarted out with curbside collection and thenfollowed where it goes when it’s recycledand turned into energy. When you thinkabout it, something that’s thrown out isreally only at its mid-life. Like reincarnation,it continues on, coming back as somethingelse. It’s interesting stuff.”

The pilot was narrated by Daniel Wilson,a 29-year-old resident of Portland, Ore.Wilson is a writer and robotics engineer anda contributing editor to Popular Mechanicsmagazine.

“Our main goal, initially, was to sell theconcept and sell Daniel to the network,” saidproducer Thomas Draudt.

Powderhouse worked closely with WasteManagement, Inc. – the parent company ofWheelabrator, based in Houston, Texas – toselect the locations to film.

“We were told the Saugus plant was thebest one in terms of proximity and scale,”said Draudt.

Drawing on its 32 years in the businessand its role as the first Wheelabrator plant toopen, the Saugus facility seemed like thenatural choice. Once there, the crew filmedthe exterior of the plant, the tipping floor andthe charging deck, giving viewers an insidelook at the business.

“It’s actually a highly technical, skilled joband process,” said Lattanzi. “I don’t think alot of people realize what exactly goes intoit.”

In addition to Wheelabrator Saugus, thecrew visited Turnkey Recycling &Environmental Enterprises in Rochester, NH,which is also owned by Waste Management.The Turnkey facility services the disposal,recycling and re-use needs of customersthroughout New England.

“Besides doing their job, and doing itwell, Wheelabrator Saugus and Turnkey aredoing good things in the community and theenvironment,” said Liz Johnson, WasteManagement communications manager, whowas present for the filming.

For their last stop, the crew toured DanehyPark in Cambridge, which was built on topof a former landfill.

Powderhouse is a regular contributor tothe Discovery Channel, the History Channel,TLC, National Geographic Channel, WGBHand NOVA. The company is currently innegotiations with the History Channel tomove forward with the show, which is likelyto air in March.

“We may be back at Wheelabrator formore, sooner rather than later,” said Lattanzi.

Witzig’s students have been to the 250-acre Saugus site, where fox-tailedphragmites sway in the sea breeze, sharingspace with marsh grasses that cover thelandfill. Some of her students were bornand raised in Saugus, no more than a mileor two from the sanctuary, but wereunaware of its ecological significance.

“There are hawks and snowy owls onthe reserve,” said Witzig, noting that theowls often live along the runways at LoganInternational Airport in East Boston. “Themeadow larks are nesting. The bobolinksare nesting. Birds that were classified asendangered are starting to show up in thearea.”

The wildlife sanctuary is located alongRoute 107 in Saugus, adjacent to thewaste-to-energy facility. “It’s the perfectstopover,” Witzig said. “It provides habitat,so the birds go from Logan Airport to theSaugus sanctuary to the barriercommunities like Nahant and Plum Island.It’s part of the chain.”

Witzig, who holds a master’s degree inmarine science from the University ofMaryland, began teaching at Essex Aggie

five years ago. In that time, she hasnurtured her students’ passion for theenvironment by bringing them out into it,whether it be a field trip to the Saugussanctuary or a walk through the hillssurrounding the school.

By partnering with WheelabratorSaugus, the agricultural school studentscan utilize the wildlife sanctuary as anoutdoor laboratory, conducting field tests,taking soil samples, and conducting countsof birds and other species. The sanctuaryfeatures a classroom building near itsentrance.

“It’s really cool,” said Witzig. “Our roleis to educate the community as well as thestudents to the value of the sanctuary. Wewant to teach our students environmentalscience but we also want to make thembetter citizens.”

Lee McMillan, who teaches geology atthe school, has been conducting soil testsat the sanctuary, bringing those resultsback to the classroom. “We did somesurface soil analysis this year, looking atthings like PH and other factors,” she said.“It’s great to be able to do field work withthe students.”

HISTORY CHANNEL: from Page 1

Production crew films at Wheelabrator for TV series

ESSEX AGGIE: from Page 1

A production crew shotfootage inside theWheelabrator Saugusplant for use in anupcoming show on theHistory Channel.

Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary served as a classroom of sorts for AP environmental science students from Essex Aggie High School.

Wheelabrator Saugus News WWiinntteerr 22000077 —— 7

WHEELABRATOR:

SANCTUARY FOR WILDLIFE

Formerly a landfill, Bear Creek WildlifeSanctuary has become a haven for migra-tory birds and other wildlife.Wheelabrator Saugus created the sanctu-ary in 1998 and has spent more than $2

million restoring the area. NortheastWetlands Restoration has planted morethan 17,000 trees and developed ninecoastal ecosystems to attract nearly 200different types of birds.

8—— Wheelabrator Saugus News WWiinntteerr 22000077

BY DAVID LISCIO

When the big trucks rumble toward the scale house laden withtrash, James Catizone meets them with a smile from his perch insidethe scale house at the Wheelabrator Saugus waste-to-energy plant.

“I love it,” he says, multi-tasking as the truck drivers ask questionsand present documentation, all the while keeping an eye on the scales,radiation detectors and other detection equipment inside the glass-windowed booth. “Right now, I’m actually being trained by SteveBraga. I’m learning from the weigh master himself.”

Catizone, 42, is new to Wheelabrator Saugus, so he’s taking onseveral diverse responsibilities at the plant, including scale houseoperator trainee, warehouse duties, some administrative tasks, andeven a few hours at the reception desk.

“The more different things I learn, the better, as far as I’mconcerned,” he said. “This is a great company. It’s well run and theemployees are happy.”

Born and raised in South Boston, Catizone lives in Saugus with hiswife, Sandee, and 22-year-old son, Paul. Hesaid he didn’t know thewaste-to-energy plantalong Route 107 existeduntil he started lookingfor a new job. He spent 10years at Intel until thatcompany implemented adramatic reduction in itslabor force. He thenworked two years withLiberty Mutual InsuranceCo., scheduling itscorporate jets.

“We could get a calland within three hourshave a jet ready to go forone of the companyexecutives,” he said. “Itwas impressive.”

Catizone joinedWheelabrator two monthsago.

“It’s amazing that youcould drive by this place

and never even notice the wildlife sanctuary next door,” he said.“Most people don’t think about what goes on here. But now that I’mworking the scale house, I see how much energy each truck bringsin.”

The “energy” is actually trash, weighed by the ton. The waste isburned and the resulting heat is used to create steam that powers aturbine which produces electricity. In most instances, the grossregistered weight of the truck, when empty, is already entered in thescale house computer, so it doesn’t take a lot of computation time tofigure out just how much trash is inbound.

He may have only been at Wheelabrator for a few months, butJames Catizone seems to have found a home in his hometown.

New employee from Saugus

fits right in at Wheelabrator

Right at home

James Catizone joined the Wheelabrator staff two months ago. PHOTOS: DAVID LISCIO