This waste must be properly managed to avoid environmental impacts.  Westhorp & Associates offers a full complement of solid waste engineering services to both municipalities and privately owned facilities.  We provide innovative solutions that meet local, state and federal regulations in the most cost effective manner. Our engineers work closely with our clients to determine the best options for their site that will perform today and in the future.

Source reduction, reuse, recycling and composting can divert large portions of municipal solid waste from landfill disposal.  At the end of the day however, there is residual waste that must be properly disposed of in landfills. Modern landfills are well engineered facilities that are properly located, designed, operated, monitored, closed, cared for after closure,  and financed to ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations. Our engineers help clients meet the stringent requirements for today’s modern landfills by providing services such as:

• Permitting and Regulatory Compliance
• Lateral and Vertical Landfill Expansion Design
• Landfill Gas Collection and Treatment System Design
• Leachate Pre-Treatment System Design Leachate Collection and Removal System Design
• Landfill Construction Management and Inspection
• Groundwater Monitoring Plans
• Closure and Post-Closure Plan

Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling and Disposal

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, construction and demolition debris (the waste generated during the construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings, roads, and bridges) accounts for almost 25 percent of Florida's total municipal solid waste stream. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, construction and demolition debris often contains bulky, heavy materials that include:

• concrete
• wood (from buildings)
• asphalt (from roads and roofing shingles)
• gypsum (the main component of drywall)
• metal, brick, glass, and plastic components
• salvaged building components (doors, windows, and plumbing fixtures)
• trees, stumps, earth, and rock from clearing sites

A wide range of these materials can be recovered and reused or recycled into new products.  Reducing and recycling construction and demolition materials conserves landfill space, reduces the environmental impact of producing new materials, creates jobs, and can reduce overall building project expenses through avoided landfill disposal costs.  Westhorp & Associates has designed and permitted construction and demolition material recovery facilities throughout South Florida.  We help our clients navigate the often complex tasks of permitting, design, and construction of construction and demolition landfills or Materials Recovery Facilities in the State of Florida.  Westhorp & Associates is client driven and your vision and goals are incorporated into the process as we work with you, side by side, to accomplish them.

Waste-to-Energy Facilities

Waste-to-energy is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity from the incineration of waste.  Modern waste-to-energy facilities combust post-recycled waste in a highly controlled and efficient combustion system, recover energy from the combustion process, and are equipped with proven air emission control technologies that minimize potential emissions. Modern waste-to-energy facilities work very differently from old-fashioned municipal "incinerators" that burned trash inefficiently, had minimal, if any, air emission control systems, and did not recover any of the energy released during the combustion process.This process creates electricity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, recovers metals and reduces the waste volume for landfill disposal by approximately 70 percent.  The remaining ash is disposed of in a landfill.  The professionals at Westhorp & Associates are experienced in the design of ash monofills where only ash is stored, ash monofill closure, performance inspections of operational facilities, technical advice on retrofitting older plants, and selection of air pollution control devices.