Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Facility

Detroit’s Resource Recovery Plant began operating in July 1989 and is currently one of the largest waste-to-energy facilities in the country in terms of capacity—the facility is permitted to process 4,000 tons of municipal solid waste per day. Everyday waste is processed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which is burned in stoker-fired boilers to yield steam for heating, cooling, and electricity. Approximately 3,300 tons of municipal solid waste is processed each day, yielding 3,100 tons of RDF. The facility produces 720,000 pounds of steam per hour, which is used to generate up to 68 megawatts of electricity. The resulting energy products are then sold to Detroit Edison Corporation.

Between July 1, 1989, and June 30, 1999, the facility processed 7,572,000 tons of municipal solid waste—enough waste to fill the interior of the Detroit Tigers’ baseball stadium approximately 40 times.

Photos courtesy of the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority.