Emissions data available for two Pennsylvania waste-to-energy facilities

Covanta, a waste-to-energy provider based in Morristown, New Jersey, and the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA), based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have announced that emissions data for LCSWMA’s two waste-to-energy facilities—the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility, located in Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, and the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex, located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania—are now available to the public online on Covanta’s facility webpages. 

According to a news release from Covanta, the data is what operators at the two waste-to-energy facilities see to monitor operational performance. The data allow residents to have a virtual seat in the control room to experience the science behind sustainable waste management.

“We care deeply about the people we serve and believe that by making this data accessible we are providing our neighbors with a new level of transparency into our operations,” says Robert Zorbaugh, chief executive officer of LCSWMA. “Waste-to-energy is a cornerstone of LCSWMA’s sustainable solid waste management system and operates under stringent guidelines. We hope that the data will shine a light on the innermost workings of these facilities and foster a new understanding of the levels of safety and accountability employed at these sites daily.”

Facility information and emissions data can be found here for the Lancaster WTE facility and here for the Susquehanna Resource Management Complex.

“While there is no regulatory requirement for us to release this information, we’re doing it because we believe it is important to be transparent to the communities we serve,” says David Sharp, director of area asset management at Covanta. “Visitors to the facilities’ webpages can view emissions data 24/7, 365 days a year and will see our operating emissions data.”

Covanta says continuous emissions monitoring helps determine a waste-to-energy facility’s compliance with strict emission limits. These are outlined in operating permits established under the federal Clean Air Act and Pennsylvania’s regulatory requirements.

The Lancaster WTE facility and Susquehanna Resource Management Complex are owned by LCSWMA and operated by Covanta. Both facilities process 669,000 tons of waste annually, which is the equivalent of avoiding 605,800 tons of greenhouse gases by keeping scraps out of landfills.