DEEP grants tentative approval for recently acquired Bristol facility to treat biomedical waste

The New Jersey recycling business that recently acquired Portland-based waste remediator RED Technologies LLC has received tentative approval to process biomedical waste at its facility in Bristol.

The Portland business’ new owner, Reworld Holding Corp., asked the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to approve permits that would allow it to process biomedical waste at the facility at 170 Enterprise Drive.

The facility, formerly known as Covanta, processes municipal solid waste from many area towns.
 
In a proposed final decision dated March 6, DEEP tentatively approved Reworld’s application, stating that the proposed regulated activities will be consistent with all applicable statutory standards.

The application faced some opposition from residents, including Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol, who wrote to DEEP urging the agency to hold off on issuing the permit while legislation on the subject remains pending. 

The proposed legislation, SB 80, would prohibit the burning of medical waste by facilities that do not meet EPA standards for burning medical waste. 

DEEP’s solid waste permit limits the facility to processing and treating no more than 57 tons of biomedical waste per day.

All biomedical waste must be labeled with the biohazard symbol and accompanied by tracking form documentation.

By accepting biomedical waste, the facility’s emissions rates are not expected to increase from their existing levels, according to DEEP’s proposed final decision. The facility is subject to annual emissions testing for pollutants.

Reworld plans to build a biomedical waste treatment facility on the property, which will consist of two incinerator/boiler systems, a turbine generation and an ash residue handling building equipped with a dustmizer, along with areas for unloading, storage and re-loading.