North Hempstead Partners with Covanta for Sustainable Waste Management
Tue, January 12, 2021, 8:30 AM EST
Utilizing local Waste-to-Energy infrastructure will reduce truck traffic and greenhouse gases
NORTH HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Covanta (NYSE: CVA), a world leader in sustainable waste and energy solutions, today announced a new agreement with the Town of North Hempstead, NY for sustainable waste disposal. Instead of landfilling approximately 140,000 tons of waste annually, the Town will now utilize the Covanta Hempstead Waste-to-Energy facility located in Westbury, NY. The agreement commenced January 1, 2021, for an initial five-year term with options to extend for an additional 10 years.
A fixture in the community for over three decades, Covanta Hempstead sustainably manages waste from residents of various local municipalities by combusting it at extremely high temperatures to generate steam for electricity production. This process is widely recognized for reducing greenhouse gases by eliminating methane emissions from landfills.
"Covanta is thrilled to partner with the Town of North Hempstead to sustainably manage its waste," said Rick Sandner, Covanta vice president and general manager. "The switch to a local Waste-to-Energy option is a huge win for the environment and will significantly reduce North Hempstead's carbon footprint. Waste-to-Energy plays a vital role in the transition to a zero-carbon economy."
Prior to the agreement with Covanta, the Town of North Hempstead utilized off-island landfills for the disposal of its residents' municipal solid waste, hauling waste as far as 300 miles away. By switching to a local option, the town will eliminate 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide from vehicle emissions annually while simultaneously reducing truck traffic on Long Island's busy highways. In addition, switching to Waste-to-Energy from landfill will eliminate approximately 140,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent that otherwise would have been generated.
"By partnering with Covanta and utilizing Waste-to-Energy as our primary means of waste disposal, the Town of North Hempstead is taking a meaningful step in making our community more sustainable," said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. "Utilizing existing disposal infrastructure on Long Island makes good environmental and economic sense while minimizing the impact from the waste we generate."
Covanta operates four Waste-to-Energy facilities on Long Island. The facilities in Westbury, West Babylon, East Northport and Ronkonkoma collectively process 1.8 million tons of waste, generate electricity to power 100,000 homes and recycle more than 55,000 tons of metal every year.
