Connecticut incinerator undergoes upgrades

A trash incinerator in Hartford, Connecticut, will continue operations despite its age but decrease its intake, a report by New England Public Radio says.

The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority currently takes one-third of Connecticut’s waste, which burns it and converts it to electricity. The facility is more than 30 years old, the report says. Lee Sawyer, a representative of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says in the report that the facility was constructed on a coal fired power plant and has equipment dating back to the 1940s and 1950s.

The aging equipment frequently fails, Sawyer says in the report, which creates a backup in the waste system, which can be costly.

The department has selected Sacyr Rooney, a Spanish-New York consortium, to upgrade the plant and manage day-to-day operations at the facility for $229 million. Sacyr Rooney plans to take 40 percent of the trash coming to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority’s incinerator and recycling it. Sawyer says in the report that metals, plastics and fiber will be recycled, and some organics will be sent to an anaerobic digester.

A final contract for the deal is set to be in place later in 2018.