Dive summary:

• A program started by Republicans in 2010, when they gained control of the House of Representatives, will send 5,000 tons of trash to incinerators in Alexandra Va. by November, powering 250 homes.
• This new program replaces one started by Nancy Pelosi, which incorporated biodegradable Greenware to the House cafeteria, Republicans claim this plan offered little environmental improvement.
• Democrats question the viability of the new program saying that burning Styrofoam cups and plastic forks is not as environmentally stable as Republicans claim.

From the article:

When Republicans took over the House in 2010, a makeover of sorts took place. Over objections from Democrats, they traded in Rep. Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif., biodegradable Greenware for Styrofoam and ditched Pelosi's "Green the Capitol" initiative in favor of one that burned trash.

And now House Republicans are touting the results of their nearly 1-year-old "Waste-to-Energy" program, in which non-recyclable Capitol trash gets burned in an Alexandria, Va. facility and converted into energy. About 3,700 tons of waste have already been diverted from landfills, and an estimated 5,000 would be sent to incinerators by November, according to a statement from the Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers. ...