Lancaster Waste-to-Energy Facility processes 10 million tons of MSW

Covanta, Morristown, New Jersey, and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have announced the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility has processed 10 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), the equivalent to more than 600 football fields filled 10 feet deep.

LCSWMA's Lancaster WTE Facility, which Covanta designed, built and has operated since 1991, primarily serves the sustainable waste management needs of Lancaster County, with the capacity to process 1,200 tons of MSW per day to produce enough renewable energy to power more than 20,000 homes continuously. In addition to processing 10 million tons since startup, the facility has:

• produced 5.6 million megawatt-hours of electricity, enough to supply all the homes in Lancaster for more than 21 years;
• recovered 180,000 tons of ferrous metal for recycling, equivalent to more than two Golden Gate Bridges; and
• offset the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of more than 1.9 million passenger cars on the road for one year.

The Lancaster WTE Facility has also been recognized as a Star worksite in the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). VPP Star status is the highest honor given to worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems.

"Almost 30 years ago LCSWMA made the smart decision to invest in an integrated waste management system that also provides clean, renewable energy to its community," Joey Neuhoff, vice president and general manager of Covanta's Mid-Atlantic region, says. "The milestone of processing 10 million tons shows that their investment is paying off and will continue to provide important benefits to the community for many years to come."

"We are proud of this big milestone and would like to thank Covanta for their excellent partnership in operating our facility for almost 27 years," Jim Warner, LCSWMA CEO, says.  "Together, we are truly transforming waste into a resource for this community."