Wisconsin Electric`s coal combustion products utilization program

In 1980, utilization of Wisconsin Electric coal combustion products stood at 5%. Since that time, disposal costs have escalated significantly. This increase was largely attributable to significant changes in landfill design regulations. New landfills have also become increasingly difficult to site as a result of increased environmental awareness and the NIMBY (not in my backyard) syndrome. Therefore, it became clear that a major effort was required to reduce the need for new landfills. Since 1980, a significant amount of research was conducted to identify and evaluate uses for fly ash and bottom ash. These efforts focused, for the most part, on the use of fly ash and bottom ash as construction materials.