Tampa, Florida, takes over operations of waste-to-energy facility

Tampa, Florida, has become the second city in the U.S. to own and operate its own waste-to-energy (WTE) plant with the acquisition of the McKay Bay Refuse-to-Energy Facility.

According to a release, the transition of responsibilities has resulted in the hiring of over 55 employees, with many of the new hires were existing facility employees or were retained through competitive recruitment.

Wheelabrator Technologies, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based contractor, had previously been operating the McKay Bay plant for over 25 years.

Plans for the city to take over the McKay Bay facility came following a 2018 evaluation of the plant, which revealed the transition would improve the efficiency of facility operations and reduce the Tampa’s Department of Solid Waste and Environmental Program Management annual operating expenses by approximately $5 million dollars.

The city of Tampa intends to invest the savings into the facility to increase the longevity of the plant and ensure that maximum energy is produced from the city’s waste stream.

“This is an exciting and critical time for [Tampa’s] future,” says Christopher Eckert, McKay Bay’s WTE plant manager. “This plan will increase the reliability and the sustainability of the solid waste department and the city of Tampa.”

Each day, the McKay Bay WTE facility converts more than 2 million pounds of household and commercial refuse into electrical energy. In 2019, the facility processed more than 310,000 tons of waste and generated enough electricity to power approximately 15,000 homes. The process saves over 302,000 barrels of oil and reduces the need to landfill solid waste.

“The safe operation of Tampa’s solid waste system has become more apparent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective removal and disposal practices have been essential towards maintaining sanitary conditions throughout our city. Although the pandemic wasn’t on the radar when we considered our options, the development of the current events solidified our decision to take on this endeavor.” says Mark Wilfalk, the city’s solid waste director.