Covanta has reached a deal with the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resource Recovery Authority (SCRRRA) to continue operating its Southeastern Connecticut Resource Recovery Facility (SECONN) waste-to-energy facility in Preston.
The SECONN facility has offset more than 5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 1991. It processes 689 tons of post-recycled municipal solid waste daily into 18 megawatts of energy and also recycles more than 9,000 tons of metal annually.
The four-year agreement extends the partnership between Covanta and SCRRRA until December 2020. During its 26 years in operation, the waste-to-energy plant has saved over 50 acres of land from landfilling, Covanta says.
As Waste Dive reports, Connecticut manages the majority of its waste through waste-to-energy facilities, as opposed to landfills. The state has set a goal of 60 percent diversion by 2024 and plans to reach this through organic waste diversion and other recycling programs.
In addition to helping states achieve waste management goals, Covanta works with corporate customers including American Airlines and Subaru achieve and maintain zero waste to landfill.
“These companies have found that zero waste to landfill is a theme that really resonates with their client base and so they look to us, especially for hard-to-dispose-of materials like paint sludges that can be used to create energy,” Covanta’s chief sustainability officer Paul Gilman said in an earlier interview.
In December, Covanta acquired Waste Recovery Solutions and Chesapeake Waste Solutions, two environmental services companies located in Pennsylvania, for undisclosed amounts.