MORRISTOWN, N.J., Jan. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Covanta, a
world leader in sustainable waste and energy solutions, has
expanded its partnership with Wreaths Across America to sustainably
recycle and dispose of wreaths that are laid on gravestones of
military veterans at cemeteries across the United States. Wreaths Across America is a
national nonprofit organization founded in 2007 with a mission to
remember the fallen, honor those that serve and their families, and
teach the next generation about the value of freedom.
In the weeks following the end of the holiday season, Wreaths
Across America volunteers collect hundreds of thousands of
evergreen wreaths placed at over 1,640 participating locations. To
help ease the burden of disposal, the wreaths are delivered and
processed at nearby Covanta Energy-from-Waste facilities free of
charge. As an added benefit, Covanta's facilities recover energy
from the organic portion of the wreaths and the metal frame is
collected for recycling.
Covanta has participated in the program since 2017 and is now
accepting wreaths at six locations in Virginia - Covanta Fairfax and Covanta
Alexandria/ Arlington, and at all
of Covanta's facilities on Long
Island in New York State –
Covanta Hempstead, Covanta Huntington, Covanta Babylon and Covanta
MacArthur.
"Covanta is pleased to provide Wreaths Across America with this
vital service," said Edward
Sandkuhl, facility manager at Covanta Hempstead. "As a Navy
veteran, I am proud to support an organization that remembers and
reverently honors the deceased men and women of our military. At
Covanta, we are committed to supporting veterans, which account for
15 percent of our U.S. workforce."
"We are continually looking for ways to support our
participating locations," said Wayne
Hanson, location coordinator volunteer with Wreaths Across
America for Arlington National Cemetery and chairman of the board
of directors. "We are grateful for Covanta's growing support of our
mission and the sustainable solution they are providing to help
prevent the veterans' wreaths from going to waste."
Wreaths from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia are processed at Covanta Fairfax and
Covanta Alexandria/Arlington.
Wreaths collected from Long Island National Cemetery in
Farmingdale, NY are sent to
Covanta's Long Island
facilities.
Covanta's Long Island
facilities alone will collect approximately 40,000 wreaths,
generating enough energy to supply electricity to eight homes for
one month. In addition, the metal recovered from the Long Island facilities amounts to over 1,000
pounds, enough to manufacture over 8,000 soup cans.
About Covanta
Covanta is a world leader in providing sustainable waste and
energy solutions. Annually, Covanta's modern Energy-from-Waste
facilities safely convert approximately 22 million tons of waste
from municipalities and businesses into clean, renewable
electricity to power one million homes and recycle over 600,000
tons of metal. Through a vast network of treatment and recycling
facilities, Covanta also provides comprehensive industrial material
management services to companies seeking solutions to some of
today's most complex environmental challenges. For more
information, visit covanta.com.
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SOURCE Covanta