On Nov. 14, 2005, in SE Washington, DC, Councilman Marion Barry anounced that he would demonstrate a new machine that is capable of cleaning water and condensing trash, sludge and other waste materials, except metal, into gasoline after Thanksgiving.

The equipment was developed by Simon Romano and financed by Wendell King, Sr. The three to four car length machine can process as much as a ton of waste per hour and produce 500 gallons of clean water a day. A separate chamber of the machine produces gasoline. The unit could run 200-300 homes. 

“As a native, I am not a polluter,” said Romano, who explained that the machine’s performance fell below the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency with regard to pollutants. Work is in progress to reduce the size of the machine so that it can fit in the yard of a home, according to Romano.

“The beauty of this is that they are financing this operation, and the city can reap the benefits. We expect this operation to add 150 to 200 jobs to the community, and we can even hire some of the youth to collect trash throughout the city,” said Barry.

Comedian and activist Dick Gregory, the one responsible for introducing Romano to Barry, says the machine will revolutionize the world.