Covanta assumes operations at Florida WTE plant

Covanta, a Morristown, New Jersey-based sustainable waste management and renewable energy company, has announced it has assumed operations of the Pinellas County Resource Recovery Facility located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company was selected to operate the facility for a 10-year term after a competitive procurement process. In addition to operations, Covanta says it has also commenced a number of capital projects to improve operations of the facility. The facility was previously operated by Green Conversion Systems, based in St. Petersburg.

"We are extremely pleased to have been chosen by Pinellas County to be the new operator of the Pinellas County Resource Recovery Facility," says Anthony Orlando, Covanta president and chief executive officer. "We have a strong track record of successfully integrating and restoring facilities and we look forward to welcoming our new client and employees into the Covanta family."

Covanta says it brings unique experience to this new operating agreement. As the Martin GmbH Technology licensee for North America, Covanta has a 30-year track record designing, constructing, operating and maintaining EfW facilities using the Martin GmbH technology employed at the Pinellas facility. The Martin technology is also used in 23 of Covanta's facilities in North America.

In addition, Covanta has more than 25 years of expertise in smoothly and efficiently taking over the operations of EfW facilities built and operated by others. Of the 42 EfW facilities Covanta operates in North America, 22 were transitioned from another company.

Covanta also brings world-class safety programs to its operation of the Pinellas County facility. Continuous improvement of health and safety programs is central to Covanta's culture. The company is among the top 10 corporations in the United States to have the majority of its domestic facilities entered into the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), which has led to a majority of Covanta's facilities earning the prestigious VPP Star status. VPP Star status is the highest honor awarded to worksites with exemplary occupational safety and health policies, procedures and practices.

The Pinellas County Resource Recovery Facility provides sustainable waste management services to residents of Pinellas County by processing approximately 3,150 tons of solid waste per day into enough clean renewable energy to power approximately 40,000 homes. The facility also recovers approximately 26,000 tons of metal annually for recycling.