$3.3M New York MRF will recycle wind turbine blades, other items

Momentum of Western New York, a recently launched recycling company, has announced plans to develop a $3.3 million material recovery facility in Steuben County, New York, that will specialize in windmill blade recycling.

As reported by The Evening Tribune, Momentum will be taking over the windmill recycling operation of T&R Environmental—a sister company based in Bath, New York. According to Momentum Owner Brian Polmateer, the company’s recycling operation “will make the industry more environmentally sustainable and help reduce space shortages in landfills.”

“Even here in Stueben County, we’re going to hit a cap very quickly,” he told The Evening Tribune. “We routinely receive phone calls from other states and local manufacturers that they have zero landfill [space]. We could see a serious need for recycling [and] waste minimization.”

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Momentum is currently working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to obtain a Part 360 permit, which governs solid waste management. Permitted waste streams at the facility will include nonhazardous liquids, sludges, soils and solids, as well as nonhazardous absorbents. The facility will not be permitted to accept hazardous wastes.

“It’s essentially being brought in, processed in different variations and then shipped back out,” says Polmanteer.

“It sounds like we might be one of the first ones in the country to write policy and protocol for windmill blades,” he adds.

Construction is expected to start in October, reports The Evening Tribune, and Momentum anticipates the new facility will be fully operational in the third quarter of 2023, likely by September. Three jobs at T&R Environmental are being reallocated to Momentum, which is also hiring for 12 new positions.

Momentum has an agreement under consideration with the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for tax incentives to aid the project. The agreement will be subject to a public hearing before the IDA votes on final approval later this month.

“It’s exciting to work with a company that is on the cutting edge of this technology,” IDA Executive Director Jamie Johnson told The Evening Tribune. “We’re hopeful as the technology and company evolve, they’ll continue to grow in our community.”