Covanta

Long Beach

118 Pier S. Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802
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Reducing Landfill Waste

Located in Long Beach, California, the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility (SERRF), is a critical component of the City’s comprehensive solid waste management system. The Facility, owned by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County and the City of Long Beach, serves the approximately 470,000 residents of Long Beach with reliable and sustainable waste management.

In addition to keeping waste out of landfills, we are committed to ensuring safe operations and minimizing environmental impacts. We have been consistently recognized for exceptional operations and community involvement, including the Long Beach Rescue Mission, organizing local toy drives as well as participating in BLAST’s Bridge to College, a program that provides guidance to students applying for college.

Fast Stats: Annual Performance

Every year, our facility processes more than 380,000 tons of waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfills.

Less waste in landfills reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 273,000 metric tons of CO₂. That’s like taking 58,000 passenger vehicles off the road for one year.

We use waste to produce 36 megawatts of electricity 24/7 - enough to power 18,000 homes for a year.

We also recover 9,000 tons of metal for recycling annually - enough to build 8,000 cars.

Superior Environmental Performance

We care about our communities and operate well below emissions limits. Over 99.9 percent of what comes out of our plant’s stack is what you’d typically find in air - water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. The remaining constituents are well below federal and state standards.

For more information on facility performance click here.

Process in Action

Waste-to-Energy: How Does It Work?

Waste-to-Energy takes non-hazardous waste - otherwise destined for landfill - and combusts it to generate steam for electricity generation. Ash is processed to recover metal for recycling while all gases are collected, filtered and cleaned before being released safely into the atmosphere.

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