In less than a year, an incinerator in Hartford that takes in roughly half a million tons of garbage annually is scheduled to close. But as the shutdown grows closer, there鈥檚 less and less agreement about where all that trash will go.
Right now, the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority (MIRA) handles about one-third of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 municipal waste. But the waste-to-energy plant has been plagued with mechanical problems and has faced declining receipts for the power it produces.
So MIRA the time had come for it to close the incinerators at its South Meadows facility in Hartford by July of next year. Initially, Tom Kirk, MIRA鈥檚 president and CEO, the closure meant all that trash would no longer come into the city.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear now that we don鈥檛 expect to be able to turn the South Meadows facility into a transfer station,鈥� Kirk said in March. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be redirecting the garbage to other disposal sites, to be determined.鈥�
鈥淭he garbage won鈥檛 be coming into Hartford,鈥� Kirk said.
But now, Kirk is backing off that assertion.
鈥淚 probably spoke too soon when I said it looks like we鈥檙e not going to be able to use South Meadows,鈥� Kirk said during a Wednesday interview. 鈥淏ecause I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 clear. It may end up there. But it certainly was premature for me to say 鈥榳e鈥檙e not going to be able to use South Meadows.鈥欌��
That new position was formally outlined in .
In it, MIRA argues it has the permitted authority to transform the South Meadows site from an incinerator into a transfer station -- basically a spot where trucks dump garbage and then reload that waste onto other trucks, which take it elsewhere for disposal.
鈥淲e believe the permit as written plainly gives us the authority to top-load trucks,鈥� Kirk said, 鈥渁nd transfer out of that facility.鈥�
But in , the DEEP disagrees, saying MIRA must either apply to the agency for a modification of its existing permit or get an entirely new permit if it wants 鈥渢o switch its operations to function solely as a transfer station.鈥�
Katie Dykes, commissioner of the state DEEP, said Thursday her agency鈥檚 position is not new.
鈥淔rankly, it was a year ago that we sent a letter to MIRA and clearly stated that a new permit would be required,鈥� Dykes said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 see any action taken by MIRA at that time to pursue a new permit for a transfer operation. The timeline is ultimately in their hands.鈥�
In the latest letter, DEEP Deputy Commissioner Betsey Wingfield told MIRA that any submission to the agency for a permit modification would need to consider such factors as traffic flow and impact, the maximum amount of garbage to be sorted, stored and transferred, and odor mitigation and management, among other considerations.
It also said MIRA needs to communicate directly with Hartford and other member towns.
鈥淒EEP strongly believes that a successful implementation of MIRA鈥檚 transition depends on the clear, consistent, and proactive communication and cooperation among MIRA, MIRA municipalities and Hartford, the host community,鈥� Wingfield wrote.
Dykes said it鈥檚 important that converting a waste-to-energy site to a transfer station goes through an updated permitting process that is open to public input from the community.
鈥淪ome of the odors associated with the management of the municipal solid waste at the South Meadows site are mitigated by the operation of the resource recovery facility and its ventilation,鈥� Dykes said. 鈥淚f that facility were no longer operating, some of those odor issues might not be mitigated.鈥�
On Thursday, Kirk said his agency was reviewing DEEP鈥檚 most recent letter. He said that modifying MIRA鈥檚 existing permit 鈥渕ay be feasible,鈥� although it is unclear exactly what degree of public input that would entail and whether such action could be accomplished before the plant鈥檚 scheduled closing in July 2022.
鈥淚f that could happen, that essentially solves the problem,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淲e get to utilize the transfer capability we think we have, and they would be able to insist on a permit modification.鈥�
Earlier in the week, Kirk said he鈥檚 optimistic the future of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 trash will become better crystalized in the coming months. He said the agency is soliciting proposals from the private sector for transportation and disposal of garbage from MIRA鈥檚 dozens of member towns.
Kirk said MIRA has asked applicants to describe both how they would handle the waste with and without an operational transfer station at the South Meadows facility. He said applications should be received and evaluated by about October.
But ultimately, if a transfer station in Hartford is not possible, Kirk said he鈥檚 not sure what鈥檚 next.
鈥淚鈥檓 a little more concerned about whether or not the capability exists in the state of 黑料吃瓜网 to handle [the] export of half a million tons [of garbage] a year,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淒oes the private sector have the capability to do that?鈥�
鈥淚f they do not, I鈥檓 not sure what we鈥檙e going to do,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淚 guess one option is continuing to run the plant.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing we鈥檙e planning on. Absolutely not. We鈥檙e not planning on operating past June,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 know. There鈥檚 half a million tons that have to be dealt with. We鈥檙e hoping the private sector can step up and find a way to get it out of state.鈥�
鈥淏ut if not,鈥� he said, 鈥渢he plant will be sitting there.鈥�
