Clean Air Council

Waste Incineration in PA

At present, PA exports more energy than its entire commercial sector consumes, meaning that further CO2 reductions are easily attainable given the grid requirements of the state.

One thing that will not reduce CO2 emissions is waste incineration. The Covanta Plymouth Renewable Energy LP in Conshohocken, PA emitted 3,410.77 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour of energy generated (lbs/mwh) in 2011. A standard coal plant emits about 2,000 lbs/mwh of this climate changing pollutant, but because of the makeup of municipal waste, carbon emissions from WTE plants are not as seriously considered as they should be. Waste incineration will exacerbate the effects of climate change while exploiting an EPA loophole.

Waste to Energy plants are also one of the most toxic methods of power generation. Nitrogen Oxides are the main ingredient in ground level ozone or smog and WTE plants are powerful emitters this dangerous pollutant. When NOx reacts with extreme heat and volatile organic compounds it forms O3 molecules which can cause respiratory inflammation. In 2013, Philadelphia had 50 “orange ozone days” when it was unhealthy for vulnerable populations like children, the elderly and asthmatics to be outdoors. The effects of these dangerous days are compounded by Philly’s 1-in-4 childhood asthma rate, killing an estimated 80 Philadelphians every summer.

There are excellent controls available for NOx like Selective Catalytic Reduction and less expensive options like Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction and the use of Low-NOx Burners and Over-Fire Air. With these technologies available, it is shocking to see PA’s WTE plants behind the times even though most were built in the early 1990s when these technologies first became available. The Conshohocken WTE facility is permitted to continuously emit a staggering 205 ppm of NOx on a 24 hour average. A 2012 University of Pittsburgh study that looked at NOx control technologies found even plants with little control technologies or those who powered down their controls emitted a maximum of 170.8 ppm. Because the Conshohocken plant is able to average their emissions they often approach 250 ppm, but then offset those peaks. This means that the public health in Montgomery County is being averaged and subject to short term effects of heavy NOx pollution. In the words of one complaint, the plant emits “an odor of burnt syrup.”

So what exactly is being burned? In some cases it is the SpecFuel manufactured by Waste Management in Northeast Philadelphia. Much of the advertising around this fuel claims that it is a coal substitute, but this fuel is burned at WTE plants and cement kilns. Similar “Process Engineered Fuels” are manufactured in Northampton County and burned at the Lehigh Cement Company in Fleetwood, PA. These fuels are dried, compressed trash, but waste plants also have individual customers who supply them with rubber, wood, textiles, paper, plastic and food waste.

You can stay up to date on emissions, permits and violations from Pennsylvania’s six WTE Plants with these links:

York County DEP EPA

Lancaster County DEP EPA

Chester DEP EPA

Conshohocken DEP EPA

Bucks County DEP EPA

Harrisburg DEP EPA

Contact Russell Zerbo at rzerbo@cleanair.org if you are concerned about waste incineration in your area.

Sign up for email alerts arrow right