Agenda - 04-21-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Memorandum To: Board of Orange County Commissioners From: Solid Waste Advisory Board Jan F. Sassaman, PhD, Chair Subject: SWAB Recommendations Waste Transfer Station and Waste to Energy Date: Apri12 2009 At its January 22, 2009 meeting, the Board of Orange County Commissioners (BOCC) requested that the Orange County Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) hold meetings with the public stakeholders to: • review and consider relative incremental costs to county and municipalities associated with alternative primary disposal locations (i.e., Howell Site, Durham Transfer Station, Waste Industries, etc.); and • explore in more detail potential options for alternatives to landfilling, especially waste to energy (WTE) alternative including those proposed by Orange County Voice (OCV), and to report back to the BOCC at your meeting April 21, 2009. We have held three meetings ~ focusing on the financial issues, some extending beyond scheduled closing, listened to consultants, potential vendors, and citizens, and have reached several preliminary conclusions and .consequent recommendations contained herein. Waste Transfer Station At our February 5 meeting, we heard from OCV of their interest in looking at vendors to handle Orange County's waste in lieu of a county-owned waste transfer station (WTE), and that there is, in OCV's opinion, no need to rush to develop the Howell site. On March 31, we received and reviewed cost analyses from Olver, Inc. and from OCV comparing the incremental costs associated with direct haul to the Howell site and to two out-of-county locations. The Olver, Inc. report demonstrated that while it may be less expensive to haul to Durham for the initial couple of years, in the long run, there are significant savings associated with a county WTS facility. OCV's opinion and analysis did not agree with Olver's analysis. Waste-to-Energy At our March 5 and April 2 meetings, SWAB heard from OCV, a potential vendor (Wheelabrator/Waste Management), a public interest group (Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League), and Olver, Inc. (summary of telephone conversations with additional WTE/alternative technology interests). What the SWAB heard can be briefly summarized as follows: