Business Aviation Integral To Waste Reduction Technologies
Waste Reduction Technologies (WRT) of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, makes high-tech incinerators that ease the overload on municipal landfills. Since most WRT customers are small cities or towns without airline service, the company needs its Mitsubishi MU-2 Marquise turboprop airplane.
“It pays for itself, every day,” says Riley Hagan, owner of WRT. “Without that airplane, we would be a less profitable company.”
One recent purchaser of a WRT incinerator was the city of Shenandoah, in far southwestern Iowa. Like many municipalities, Shenandoah had a landfill that was nearly full, with fresh waste still arriving. Some communities cope with landfill overflow by trucking their waste far away, using convoys of large trucks. They then typically pay $100 per ton or more for the privilege of dumping the waste.
WRT’s advanced “Smokeless Fire”™ incinerators reduce new waste by more than 99 percent, greatly extending the life of a landfill. But in Shenandoah’s case, there was a catch: the Iowa Department of Natural Resources had never before approved a high-tech incinerator.
“WRT’s engineering support was critical for getting this approved,” says Bo Harris, Shenandoah’s city administrator, noting that the nearest airline airport was Des Moines, a nearly three hour drive. “When they flew in, right here to Shenandoah, we were impressed.”
“The company airplane is an intangible benefit,” says Hagan, “but when we can roll right up to the front door of the customer’s own community, it demonstrates our commitment to serving them. It sets us apart from the competition.”
“We’re able to go straight to where our customers are, without connecting through Atlanta and driving three hours, spending two nights in hotels, and incurring all kinds of extra expenses,” Hagan says. “Is it any wonder our airplane is an integral part of our business?”
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