Waste Not! Carroll

County Public Works Director Mike Evans refuted what he called misleading or false information about the cost of the incinerator cited in a report by a county resident, but the report's author stands by his analysis.

Bruce Holstein, of Waste Not! Carroll, wrote an analysis and critique in June of the county's plans to build and share a 1,500-ton-per-day incinerator with Frederick County.

Evans said Carroll will pay 40 percent of the costs of the incinerator, and in turn own 40 percent of the incinerator and its capacity.

Holstein said that looking at the spreadsheets provided by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, which is managing the project, he believes Carroll will be paying for 56 percent of the net operating cost of the incinerator, with Frederick paying 44 percent.

Holstein said he is trying to convince the commissioners they would better benefit by contracting with Frederick County to dispose of their waste in the incinerator, rather than be an invested partner in the project. As it is, he believes Carroll will be subsidizing Frederick's trash.

Many of Holstein's numbers do not match the numbers Evans used in his presentation to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners Thursday.

Evans said Holstein chose to include numbers that are not part of incinerator-specific costs and revenues for his calculations. For example, Holstein included $6.4 million that Frederick is expecting to spend to burn its sewage sludge in the incinerator as revenue, and transportation costs for each county to take its waste to the incinerator. Those numbers are specific to each county and not the joint operation of the plant, he said.

Holstein's report also said the county's revenue estimates for electricity are based on highly optimistic assumptions of producing 750 kilowatt hours per ton of trash. Carroll is expecting to generate $13.2 million in electricity revenues using that figure guaranteed by the incinerator operator, Wheelabrator Technologies Inc.

Evans said an independent engineering company, HDR, reviewed the plant design and determined the facility is capable of producing 750 kilowatt hours per ton of trash, if the trash content has a heat value of 5,500 BTUs per pound.

The Holstein report pointed out that the Montgomery County incinerator only achieves an average of 5,150 BTUs per pound. Evans said that Montgomery County has made the choice to burn at a lower rate but burn more waste, which brings in more revenue for them.

County Chief of Staff Steve Powell asked if the county has had an analysis of its waste to get an idea of what its BTU quality might be. Evans said the county has not.

If the Carroll/Frederick incinerator had a BTU value lower than 5,500 BTUs per pound, it would be able to burn a larger volume of waste in the same amount of time, Evans said. The larger volume of waste would come with more tipping fees, which would more than make up the difference of the electricity loss, he said.

Commissioner Dean Minnich asked Evans if the incinerator would have an adverse impact on the county's recycling program and goals. Evans said the county would only burn recyclables when they are mixed in with other non-recyclable waste. Communities with incinerators tend to have higher recycling rates than non-incinerator communities, he said.

Holstein said he was disappointed with Evans' presentation to the commissioners Thursday, and that he stands behind his analysis. Holstein said there were many other points within the report that disagree with what county representatives have been saying that Evans did not refute, which he takes as an unstated acceptance of some of his points.

"I didn't make up these numbers," Holstein said.

Reach staff writer Carrie Ann Knauer at 410-857-7874 or carrie.knauer@carrollcountytimes.com.