MORRISTOWN, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 02/20/13 -- Ever wonder what it might be like to turn waste into energy, rather than sending it to an overflowing landfill? Well, users of iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices will now have the chance to find out through a fun and educational simulated game experience. Covanta Energy, a world leader in sustainable waste management and renewable energy, has launched The Crane Game, a new app that familiarizes users with the Energy-from-Waste (EfW) process by allowing them to turn average household waste into energy.

Throughout the game, players must operate a crane to transport waste from a holding pit into a chute leading to a combustion chamber. As each level is completed, waste deliveries come faster and faster and users must avoid obstacles like recyclables, electronics and other items that shouldn't be combusted. Points are awarded for the total amount of energy generated, greenhouse gases mitigated and metals reclaimed for recycling. The game also shares interesting facts and figures about EfW and sustainable waste management to help raise awareness of vital landfill alternatives.

While most people are familiar with unsightly landfills, they are often unaware of the preferred alternative solution: Energy-from-Waste. After efforts to recycle as much as possible, EfW facilities offer a safe and technologically advanced means of waste disposal that generates clean, renewable energy, reduces greenhouse gases and supports recycling through the recovery of metals.

"At Covanta, we are always looking for new ways to tell our story and educate people on the alternatives to landfilling waste. After communities have reduced, reused and recycled to their fullest extent, the next, most responsible step is recover renewable energy from the remaining solid waste at EfW facilities," said Paul Gilman, Covanta's chief sustainability officer. "The Crane Game is a fun, interactive tool that demonstrates how our facilities safely recover energy from waste, minimize greenhouse gas emissions and recycle metal."

The app is free to download and available exclusively for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices. To learn more or to download the app, please visit https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-crane-game-covanta/id596533589?mt=8.

About Covanta
Covanta Energy Corporation is an internationally recognized owner and operator of Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects and a recipient of the Energy Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Covanta's 44 Energy-from-Waste facilities provide communities with an environmentally sound solution to their solid waste disposal needs by using that municipal solid waste to generate clean, renewable energy. Annually, Covanta's modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely convert approximately 20 million tons of waste into 9 million megawatt hours of clean renewable electricity and approximately 9 billion pounds of steam that are sold to a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.covantaenergy.com.