Covanta Hempstead celebrates 30 years of service

Covanta Hempstead, Long Island, New York’s largest waste-to-energy facility, is celebrating 30 years of service to the community. Opened in 1989, the facility is a vital outlet for sustainably managing the waste generated by residents of the town of Hempstead and other neighboring municipalities, according to a company release.

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“When it comes to the environment and building a more sustainable future, we at Covanta are deeply committed to protecting tomorrow,” says Derek Veenhof, Covanta’s executive vice president, asset management. “As our partner for the last three decades, the town of Hempstead shares this commitment, choosing to recover value from their waste to the benefit of its residents. Energy-from-waste was the right decision, at the right time, and as New York moves forward to a zero carbon economy, this facility will continue to play a vital role in achieving that goal.”

“The Covanta Hempstead energy-from-waste facility is the cornerstone of the town of Hempstead’s integrated waste management system,” says Town Supervisor Laura Gillen. “The facility provides a reliable and sustainable means of managing our waste, reduces greenhouse gases by avoiding landfills and generates clean energy for our community. We also greatly appreciate Covanta’s commitment to the community. Whether it is educating students on environmental stewardship or helping our veterans, Covanta has demonstrated that they are dedicated to being a good neighbor and improving the community any way they can.”

Located on 15 acres in Westbury, New York, Covanta Hempstead processes more than 1 million tons of waste each year and generates enough electricity to power 75,000 local homes and businesses. The facility also recycles more than 30,000 tons of metal annually.

Since its inception, Covanta Hempstead says it has:

• processed more than 28 million tons of waste, saving more than 200 acres of land that would have been used for landfilling
• generated 15 million megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power more than 1.5 million homes for one year
• reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 18 million of tons, equivalent to taking nearly 3.5 million cars off the road for one year
• avoided 2.8 million trucks going off-island to distant landfills--equal to a five-lane highway filled bumper-to-bumper with garbage trucks from Hempstead to the Oregon coast
• recovered approximately 625,000 tons of ferrous metal for recycling, enough to build 23 Whitestone Bridges

In addition, Covanta Hempstead supports a range of initiatives, including Wreathes Across Americ and encourages STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education for local students. Recently, the facility launched an American flag retirement program in collaboration with local veteran groups. The program retires old and worn flags in accordance with the U.S. flag code.

The facility also received the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star award. Acceptance into the VPP Star program signifies OSHA’s official recognition of the “outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health performance,” the company says.