Telephone: 860-885-3512,
Contact:Tonya King Click here for more NENC stories on waste and trash issues in New England. Connecticuts solid waste management and renewable energy policies are at a crossroads. MIRA has only reluctantly accepted the fate of the South Meadows trash to energy plan, criticized for spewing toxic fumes into south Hartford and contributing to pollution that disproportionately harms Black and Latino residents. If I had $330 million, its not what I would put into. We should not count on Pennsylvania welcoming tons of trash, Kirk added. Waste-to-energy projects in Connecticut are all considered to be Class II renewable energy sources. 0000005925 00000 n
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Permittees must monitor the site and report to the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection but concerns about leakage and contamination of soil, ground and surface water sources remain, particularly if flooding occurs. Connecticutmade decisions years ago to move away from landfilling and shift to waste to energy incinerators that burn trash, creating some electricity. Less waste in landfills reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 225,000 tons of CO2. But it is encouraging to see that it appears the private sector was able to step up and handle the waste.. hartford waste recycling workers stream single plant trash leans pain ct industry plan 333m overhaul borrow agency plans hartfordbusiness Contracts have now expired and wholesale prices have dropped. Bristol, CT 06010 earn 
Its life-changing for our kids.- Stephen Brown, Teacher, Lisbon Central School, Special Waste Contact:specialwaste@wtienergy.com. 
Ash is trucked to the facility and stored in lined pits and covered when full. DEEP and towns are also partnering to cut down trash through more recycling and getting food out of the trash bin. Sorting food scraps/organics, improved sorting of recyclables, glass, paper and other products is key. Of course, in that situation, everybodys costs are going up, and there may or may not be an alternative thats more attractive. Thats not an advantage for Hartford, its a disadvantage for everyone., Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. Recent shifts in the energy markets have conspired to make the economics of waste-to-energy more difficult. 0000053603 00000 n
To learn more and get involved in this campaign, join our email list or contact ahulick@cleanwater.org. MIRA's board previously identified exporting to out-of-state landfills as the only near-term alternative, but DEEP is calling for new ideas beyond solely converting the site to a transfer station. Telephone: 860-457-9307, Wheelabrator Bridgeport Resource Recovery Facility This new investment comes as renewable natural gas projects are increasingly popular. Kirk said Covanta doesnt need any additional approvals to take the trash from Essex, because MIRAs trash will displace some of what is already being burned at the Preston plant. The company formerly known asBioHiTech Global has seen its stock price plummetfollowingfinancial, operational and legalissues. wallingford But MIRA officials warn the decades-old facility could break down any day. Having 80 percent of towns opt in gives them that assurance, and could keep tipping fees about $15 per ton cheaper than they otherwise would be, Kirk said. In the perspective of both Kirk and Kirby,organics diversion is a worthwhile discussion but misses the broader issue of how to manage much of the waste that MIRA is contracted to handle through 2027. Hartford, MIRA's host community, has generally resisted the idea of continuing the site's use for waste processing. CT is working hard to move in this direction and we all must do our part. landfill hartford solar section cross layers waste cap municipal cells closed crra illustration soil connecticut recovery authority solid resources construction biogas gwe connecticut Gov. Waste to energy plants all operate at full capacity, Kirk said. MIRA anticipates private sector operators will also play a role in managing some of the tonnage,with all of it heading to out-of-state disposal sites. Although several states have better recycling or composting rates, Connecticut garners the top spot by having the highest waste-to-energy conversion rate. He said theres not a lot of pressure on state officials to regain a more progressive and sound focus on solid waste because other states are currently accepting Connecticuts trash. The announcement follows debate over whether the state should help repair the facility, which was the last publicly owned trash-to-energy plant in the state and falling energy prices. Plainfield Renewable Energy - Greenleaf Power (Biomass Gasification Facility) Wray said the current life cycle of Connecticuts waste infrastructure dates back to the 1970s, when planners decided to ditch landfills and, instead, burn trash to make power. Kirk said bidders made it clear that they could offer a better price if they had more certainty of how much volume of trash they would be handing over the next five years ensuring theyll be able to recoup their costs after investing in new equipment like trucks to take on the MIRA waste. That will not change until there is either a regulatory statutory restriction against dealing with your garbage that way, or the economics change.. Therell be a whole lot more diesel exhaust being generated by Connecticuts garbage, but itll be spread out all over instead of concentrated in Hartford, Kirk said. "We remain hopeful that reason will prevail, and that MIRA and DEEP will ultimately be able to put aside the differences between them to do what is right to develop and implement a comprehensive waste management plan for Connecticut that employs cutting edge diversionary technology and provides for the processing of the remainder within the states borders.". Hb``f``e```lud8 B1:_aWp5)i\; The expansion will eliminate acres of wetlands and a local tributary that feeds the Quinebaug River. Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism! Instead ofexpandingour waste facilities and investing in further pollution, Connecticutshould refocus its efforst on Zero Waste policies which help toprevent waste before it starts and protect our communities, air and water from harm. 0000100619 00000 n
Contact:Mark Boucher,Greg Zis orDawn Cannon 1444 I Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005P (202) 895-0420F (202) 895-0438, 1444 I Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005. The site is expected to take years to be decommissioned. Initial plans included a range of ideas such as mechanical biological treatment and anaerobic digestion. Contact:Tonya King or Kenneth Huebner 425 South Burnham Highway What happens when those states decide to stop accepting Connecticuts trash? We have a problem with life cycles, said Lyle Wray, with the Capitol Region Council of Governments, a coalition of town leaders from about 40 municipalities in Greater Hartford. For more information on facility performance click here. The real deal is that we need state leadership to refresh the solid waste system in the state.. All Rights Reserved |, Electronic Waste Recycling & Universal Waste. All the trash that goes through the Essex Transfer Station about 10 percent of the more than 500,000 tons of trash MIRA processes each year will now be trucked to the Covanta trash burning energy plant in Preston. Contact: Tom Hochdorfer Telephone: 860-589-6470, Covanta Southeastern Connecticut Resource Recovery Facility But as MIRA goes away, lawmakers worry it and the state arent doing enough to articulate what policies Connecticut needs to manage its garbage within state borders. We have been consistently recognized for exceptional operations, including OSHAs stringent Voluntary Protection Program Star certification. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has said it is working to reduce the amount of state trash that will be sent to out-of-state landfills as a result of MIRAs closure. Kirk said the sale of energy from burning the trash went from 12 cents a KWH to 3.5 cents a KWH. Applications for the Connecticut Child Tax Rebate must be submitted to the Department of Revenue Services by July 31, 2022. The move follows years of debate around the plant's future, but was largely expected after Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection rejected refurbishment plans earlier this year,among other events. Dykes said its still too early to tell if state taxpayers will have to foot more of the bill to build out more in-state disposal capacity. 0000000853 00000 n
But Tom Kirk, president of MIRA, said good policy needs to be in place to make sure that happens. Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts. Our trash has to go somewhere and our current system of out of sight, out of mind hasnt helped and recycling rates of quality materials remains low, around 35 percent. Connecticut News from your locally owned & operated news source at the state Capitol since 2005. Its a very old technology. Whether through MIRA or another entity, the result is the same tipping fees are offset by electricity sales. "Thats a hard and fast stubborn fact.". crane covanta energy waste incinerator trash operates mccluskey preston operator matt monday plant using north garbage plans local preparing rip Commissioner Katie Dykes called it "a false choice, and a bad deal" in a. connecticut When trash is burned, not only is air quality impacted but the ash from burning trash must be collected and stored. Connecticut has long touted its emphasis on waste-to-energy technologies over landfills, but MIRA's board previously voted to pursue transferring to out-of-state landfills if a deal wasn't reached by Aug. 31. explosion plant power station fatigue connecticut still dozens missing could investigating conn deadly feds contributor energy telegraph possible getty The companies MIRA is negotiating with have mentioned delays in procuring trucks, train cars and drivers they need to do the work, Kirk said part of the widespread supply chain and worker availability questions businesses across the U.S. have been grappling with. {"requests":{"event":"https:\/\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/newspack-popups\/includes\/..\/api\/campaigns\/index.php"},"triggers":{"trackPageview":{"on":"visible","request":"event","visibilitySpec":{"selector":"#c75b","visiblePercentageMin":90,"totalTimeMin":500,"continuousTimeMin":200},"extraUrlParams":{"popup_id":"id_200658","cid":"CLIENT_ID(newspack-cid)"}}}} Lee D. Hoffman is chairman of Hartford law firm Pullman & Comleys Regulatory, Energy & Telecommunications Department. Click here to learn more. MIRA charges a tipping fee based on the tonnage disposed, and augments that fee with revenues from the production of electricity. But that scope narrowed amid realizations that the existing facility's condition was worse than anticipated. 0000000764 00000 n
The reason we need that opt out is if things change, if the price of fuel changes and all of a sudden trucks are spending a lot more money to get to Pennsylvania and the tipping fee has to go up by a lot, then the towns would have the option to unilaterally leave the agreement, Kirk said. Connecticut has banned organics disposal for certain large generators since 2014, but the law exempts those outside a certain geographic range of permitted processing facilities and includes limited enforcement measures. Its a giant step backwards. While this outcome was not entirely unexpected by stakeholders, the state's rejection of MIRA's operational plan did come as a surprise to some and reframes discussions about next steps. As a result, it landfills less waste than most states. pm10 The state legislature is not currently expected to weigh in during a special summer session. Under Connecticut law, each electricity supplier must purchase a minimum number of Class II renewable energy credits (RECs). While MIRA is continuing to work through an RFP process for the renovation and operation of its MRF (currently contracted with Republic Services into next year), much of the entity's future operational plans are up in the air. For years, MIRA has functioned as the states public option for trash by allowing towns to pool their resources and drive down disposal costs. Its official. Connecticut long ago recognized the value of reducing landfilling, and took steps to keep the costs of landfill closures to a minimum. The solid waste system designed in the 70s probably had a 50-year life cycle, if we were honest, Wray said. We care about our communities and operate well below emissions limits. The Wheelabrator Lisbon waste-to-energy facility provides dependable, environmentally safe disposal of up to 500 tons daily of everyday household and business waste, using it as a fuel to generate as much as 15 MW of clean, renewable electricity for sale to the local utility. Bridgeport, CT 06605 The trash that goes through the Torrington and Watertown transfer stations will be handled by Bridgeport-based Enviro Express, and will be trucked to a landfill in eastern Pennsylvania, Kirk said. Beyond the industry, it has the potential to affect most of Connecticuts businesses and residents. )g:)~cDp_7FUqhG4#;0d~}S^G$i8iF f'0b`]$J0A'JfTpJ}+Fd5Rl>$u1"g?tF' OLiszDMFWQ(ou*1?z!m=oJrLhg$\n!). 0000001405 00000 n
MIRA burns about a half million tons of trash each year. Nearly 50 towns choose to send their trash to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority or MIRA.
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