Date: June 27, 2016
Source: Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority
The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) in Pennsylvania, which owns two waste-to-energy (WTE) plants, a landfill and a transfer station, has entered into a long-term contract with Inashco North America to site a $14 million facility to recover metals from waste-to-energy ash otherwise destined for the landfill. It is estimated that the 100,000 square foot facility will process 165,000 tons of ash generated annually by LCSWMA's two WTE facilities from which over 8,000 tons of metal will be recovered. Under the public-private partnership, LCSWMA is loaning Inashco 80 percent of the capital costs (around $11 million) to construct the facility. Inashco will repay the principal and interest over a 10-year term. This is the Dutch company's fourth project in the US. "This project exemplifies our philosophy of transforming waste into a resource," says Jim Warner, CEO of LCSWMA. "Doing so takes innovative thinking and collaborating with world-class partners..."
LCSWMA's two WTE facilities include a 37.5 MW plant in Bainbridge, PA and a 21.8 MW plant in Harrisburg, PA, which it purchased from the troubled City of Harrisburg in 2012. They collectively produce 59.3 MW of electricity which is enough to power 45 thousand homes. Ash from the plants is currently hauled to the authority's Frey Farm Landfill in Conestoga, PA.
PRESS RELEASE
June 27, 2016
LCSWMA and Inashco Partner for Advanced Metals Recovery at the Frey Farm Landfill
CONESTOGA (Lancaster County, PA) - The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) has entered into a long-term contract with Inashco North America, Inc. to site a $14 million facility next to the Frey Farm Landfill that will recover a variety of metals from waste-to-energy ash.
LCSWMA owns two waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities (Bainbridge, PA and Harrisburg, PA) that burn municipal solid waste, producing enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 45,000 area homes and businesses. After combustion, the remaining ash from both power plants is transported to LCSWMA's Frey Farm Landfill in Conestoga and used as material to cover landfilled waste each day.
While LCSWMA's WTE facilities currently use in-line metal recovery systems, only larger metals are removed. Inashco North America, Inc., whose parent company is based in the Netherlands, offers an advanced metals recovery system to remove pebble-sized metals present in the ash. This system incorporates the use of proprietary technology, in addition to various screens, magnets and conventional Eddy Current Separators to remove fine ferrous and non-ferrous metals from WTE ash for the benefit of bringing these metals back to manufacturers and avoid primary mining.
"This will be our fourth facility built in the U.S., but our first project as Public-Private-Partnership with a county agency," says John Joyner, President of Inashco North America, Inc. Joyner adds, "We are thrilled the most innovative, well managed and highly respected solid waste authority in the country selected Inashco to build this state-of-the-art metals recovery facility."
Arno LaHaye, CEO of Inashco in Europe also avers, "Inashco is proud to be a part of this landmark project in the U.S. solid waste industry and to contribute to an advancement toward sustainability and a circular economy."
Inashco designed the 100,000 square foot facility to process around 165,000 tons of ash generated annually from LCSWMA's two WTE facilities. About 8,000+ tons of metals will be recovered each year. The partners anticipate construction to start in spring 2017, with full operations commencing by spring 2018.
The business arrangements for the partnership include LCSWMA loaning Inashco 80 percent of the capital costs (around $11 million) to construct and equip the facility. Inashco will pay principal and interest on the loan over a 10-year term. Additionally, Inashco will pay LCSWMA a service fee for every ton of ash delivered to the facility and will share net project profit.
"This project exemplifies our philosophy of transforming waste into a resource," says Jim Warner, CEO of LCSWMA. "Doing so takes innovative thinking and collaborating with world-class partners, like Inashco, to extract the most value from waste."
Environmental benefits of the project include: (1) saving landfill space by removing thousands of tons of metals each year, (2) selling the metals for re-use, thus saving natural resources and avoiding related CO2 emissions, and (3) preparing for possibility to beneficially reuse clean minerals from the ash outside of the landfill in the future. Economic benefits of the project include: (4) continued revenue diversification for LCSWMA, (5) expansion of service offerings by Inashco with its first public partnership in North America, and (6) the addition of 10-12 new jobs to the local area.
About LCSWMA
LCSWMA is a regional government authority, recognized nationally for its leadership in the solid waste industry and its innovative Integrated System that includes: (1) a Transfer Station permitted to handle up to 2,200 tons per day; (2) a 1,200 tons per day mass burn Waste-to-Energy Facility in Lancaster and 800 tons per day mass burn Waste-to-Energy Facility in Harrisburg for the combustion of waste and production of electricity; (3) the Frey Farm Landfill, permitted for disposal of 2,000 tons of waste per day; (4) a county-wide recycling program; and (5) drive-through Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Visit www.lcswma.org or learn more.
Inashco's mission is to be the partner of choice for the Waste-to-Energy sector and other stakeholders focused on responsible ash management. With their current 27 facilities, Inashco processes globally approximately 5 million tons of WtE ash. Visit www.inashco.com to learn more.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn J. Sandoe
Deputy Chief of Community Relations
Phone: 717-735-0188
Mobile: 717-333-1558
Email: ksandoe@lcswma.org.
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