Commissioners consider incinerator

Landfill has space for facility, but county hasn’t committed yet

Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006

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by Sherry Greenfield

Staff Writer

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This 1999 file photo shows the incinerator plant in Dickerson, Montgomery County. Frederick County officials toured that plant recently.

There is no doubt that Frederick County has a history of trash disposal problems and is in need of a long-term solution.

County commissioners, in a unanimous decision Feb. 9, agreed to look at building a trash incinerator, which many in the business call a ‘‘waste-to-energy facility,” as the answer to the county’s waste crisis.

Commissioners agreed to authorize the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority to develop a plan for an incinerator, negotiate an agreement with a provider and present the contract to the board on or before Dec. 1.

‘‘I certainly support a resolution to evaluate how we can pursue a waste-to-energy facility,” said Commissioner Jan H. Gardner (D). ‘‘It’s the ultimate in recycling — you take the garbage and do something with it. We’re under no obligation [to build it]. We’re just going forward with this process and I think it’s reasonable. I intend to support it. It’s a good idea.”

Commissioner John R. Lovell Jr. (R) agreed.

‘‘I’m going to certainly support waste-to-energy,” he said. ‘‘It’s certainly the long-term solution we’ve been looking for.”

An incinerator results in a reduction in the volume of trash that has to be placed in a landfill and could generate revenue. The principle of the ‘‘waste-to-energy” option is to use garbage as fuel to generate electricity that could be sold to an electric utility company.

County officials recently toured an incinerator plant in Dickerson, Montgomery County, to get a first-hand look on how it works.

The county figures they have a handle on trash until 2045 — a trash transfer station will haul trash out of the county and remaining space at the landfill on Reichs Ford Road in Frederick should take care of the trash until then.

The problem with the plan, officials say, is that it relies heavily on other jurisdictions and its costs can vary widely because of fluctuating gas prices that can lead to unstable transportation costs.

Last year, commissioners authorized the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority and its consultant, R.W. Beck and Associates, to study the county’s trash options and determine the most economical solution for disposing of solid waste from 2011 through 2031.

The report suggests the county build a trash incinerator.

County officials have suggested that the county-owned landfill be the site of the incinerator. The county owns 529 acres along Reichs Ford Road for garbage disposal, 150 of which are used to bury trash.