Tulsa - During a budget crisis, the city of Tulsa is going to save $750,000 with trash.

Instead of having it buried, that refuse will be burned to create energy. It's not the first time garbage has been incinerated. 

Next Monday, trucks full of T-Town's trash will begin rolling into the incinerator site near 2100 S. Yukon Ave.

Like an over-sized version of a Chuck e. Cheese crane machine, the giant claw used to drop waste into the fire has a firm grasp on a prized trash contract with the city of Tulsa.

Covanta, the company that bought the Walter Hall Incinerator last year, is expected to start processing t-town's garbage, after a two year hiatus during which the trash went to a landfill.

"We have a saying here at the plant that trash is only waste if you send it to the dump," said Covanta Energy's James Lee.

Two years ago, it was cheaper to bury it than burn it. So the city switched. But Covanta entered the picture, and undercut the price to bury.

It's a good deal for residents, says Michael Patton of  Metro Environmental Trust.

"The trash-to-energy plant is offering such a good price for Tulsans that Tulsans are going to be able to keep their rates low farther in the future," Patton said.

The city is expected to save $750,000. But, don't expect cheaper service since the city's already been making efforts to keep rates steady.

The city of Tulsa has been subsidizing trash rates for a couple of years. This lower amount will keep the city from having to do that in the future, hopefully.

Environmentally, the plant produces steam from all that burned up garbage, which also takes considerably less space in the landfills.

Steam is sold to the oil refineries, who then generate electricity with it.

About 200 trucks will come in on Monday morning and about 10 will go to the landfill with ashes, making our landfills last 20 times longer.

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