Now I have some time to talk about my individual appointment in Lubeck.  I met with Mr. Enno Thyen ("teen").  He oversees the operations at the sewage treatment plant and also knows about solid waste management in the town.  First, what struck me when I arrived was that there was not a strong odor.  If you've been to Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant in Chattanooga, you probably remember the strong smell there.  In Lubeck, it's a typical operation.  There is a sewer system throughout the community, some of which is a combined system (sewer and stormwater).  They are making efforts to separate the two systems.  When the wastewater reaches the plant, the water goes through a grate which removes large solid materials.  The water then goes into large settling ponds so that the sludge sinks to the bottom.  The water goes through a series of filters, and then undergoes biological treatment.  Basically, microbes consume the waste and release gases as a byproduct.  The water is released into the river after treatment.  The sludge goes into digestion tanks (see below).  After the sludge is processed, it is used in agriculture as a fertilizer.  The methane produced during the digestion process is used to power the plant (run pumps, etc).

 

As far as municipal solid waste, there is a curbside recycling program.  People separate paper, glass, plastic, etc from their trash.  You are allowed only a certain weight of refuse.  The recyclables and refuse is taken to a facility.  At the facility, the refuse is separated (because some people choose not to recycle).  The metals, plastics, glass, etc are removed from the other materials.  What is left is mostly organic material.  This material is put through a digestion process (much like the sludge described above), and the small amount left is taken to the landfill.  The process greatly reduces the volume of waste going to a landfill.

 

You might ask - why would anyone go to Europe and visit a sewage treatment plant?  Well, the view, of course!