Waste Not! Carroll

Posted: Sunday, July 18, 2010

By Adam Bednar, Times Staff Writer 

How to handle the county’s trash has been a persistent problem for Carroll County. It has considered several options for handling its trash. However, the option of Carroll County pursuing a waste-to-energy incinerator has been debated in the county since the 1990s.  

June 1994 

The Waste to Energy Committee, which investigated future handling of the county’s waste stream, recommended the Carroll County Board of Commissioners not pursue building a waste-to-energy incinerator. At that time, the committee cited exorbitant costs, environmental concerns and public opposition as reasons not to build an incinerator. 

March 1996

Whether to build an incinerator or a co-composting operation was still being debated by the commissioners. At that time, Commissioner Donald Dell was in favor of building an incinerator. Commissioner Benjamin Brown was a supporter of co-composting. 

May 1996

A report on trash disposal methods from the Northeast Maryland Disposal Authority urged jurisdictions interested in building co-composting facilities to proceed cautiously. The agency also told jurisdictions not to consider

building waste-to-energy incinerators for at least 10 years.

July 1996

The Department of Public Works told the Carroll County Board of Commissioners that its best alternative for handling future trash was building a co-composting facility. 

April 1997

A company called Bedminster Bioconversion proposed building a $40 million co-composting plant at Northern Landfill. At the same time, Waste Management put forward a plan to build a $1.5 million solid waste transfer station at Northern Landfill. The trash would then be transferred from Carroll to a landfill in Pennsylvania. 

July 1997

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners signed a five-year contract with Waste Management Inc. to operate a trash transfer station at the Northern Landfill. The trash would then be hauled away to York, Pa., and burned in that incinerator. 

October 2005 

Engineering firm R.W. Beck made a presentation to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on the possibility of building a waste-to-energy plant. 

January 2006 

Commissioners agreed to get more specific plans on an incinerator through the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority. 

November 2007 

The Carroll County Environmental Advisory Council recommended the commissioners not pursue building a waste-to-energy incinerator.   

April 2008 

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted to pursue building a 1,500-tons-per-day waste–to-energy incinerator with Frederick County. Two members of the EAC resigned in protest following the commissioners’ decision. 

February 2010 

Sen. Alex Mooney, R-District 3, introduced a bill that would have prevented the Maryland Department of the Environment from issuing a permit to build an incinerator unless it was in an area zoned for heavy industrial use. The bill failed.