Wheelabrator ends appeal of Virginia authority waste contract decision

Wheelabrator Technologies, Portsmouth, New Hampshire has reportedly decided not to further appeal a decision by Virginia’s Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) to partner with a new waste services provider beginning in 2018.

Wheelabrator’s contract with eight municipalities and SPSE ends in January 2018. The company has been operating a waste-to-energy facility for the area’s trash since the mid-1970s. SPSA’s board voted in earlier this year to award a contract to RePower South, Spartanburg, South Carolina, rather than renew its contract with Wheelabrator.

RePower plans to build a mixed waste processing facility in Chesapeake, Virginia, to recover recyclables and produce biomass pellets.

An article in the Virginia Pilot states, “Wheelabrator said it had made a ‘business decision’ not to further appeal SPSA’s decision.

In the article, Wheelabrator says it stands by the issues raised in its protest and believes “all SPSA communities should be concerned about the viability of the proposed alternative to energy-from-waste that SPSA has endorsed.” The company also said it is ready to engage in direct dialogue with the localities to handle their waste disposal.