Agenda - 12-07-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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composting, new collection and financing strategies, and public education programs to encourage involvement in all aspects of waste management from generation through disposal. The County is implementing an integrated solid waste management strategy to achieve a 61 percent waste reduction goal. 2.0 ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS Orange County has undertaken a thorough review of its MSW management program over the past several years and has considered and evaluated numerous alternatives during the process. The concept of the transfer station itself is a product of this process, being an alternative to the construction of a new landfill. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) initiated a comprehensive site selection process to locate the proposed solid waste transfer station. The County has also investigated various alternatives to construction of a transfer station. These analyses have progressed along two tracks. The Alternative Methodology Track has been to further investigate whether there are viable alternatives to the construction of a County -owned transfer station. This analysis has shown the construction of a County -owned transfer station to be a necessity and the best methodology for management of Orange County's MSW for the foreseeable future. The Site Selection Track has been used to develop and implement a set of criteria for identifying and ranking candidate sites and to select a suitable site for the transfer station within the County. 2.1 Alternative Methodolociv Track As mentioned previously, GBB conducted the Alternative Waste Processing Assessment] to explore reasonable alternatives to landfill disposal of MSW by Orange County. The study concluded that at Orange County's current level of solid wastes generation (less than 250 tons per day), the cost of financing, building, owning, and operating a waste -to- energy plant would be in the range of $100 per ton of refuse processed after sale of electricity generated from the heat recovered from incineration and sale of scrap metal recovered from the residual ash. Based upon the estimated costs of constructing and operating the transfer station, transport, and landfilling at a regional private- sector disposal site, GBB concluded that it was not economical in the short term to consider a stand -alone waste combustion facility to handle waste from only Orange County. It was also concluded that the other emerging technologies investigated in the study are at present not mature, practical, proven, or appropriate for managing large quantities of mixed solid waste. Significant permitting issues may prevent or significantly delay the implementation of any waste- to- energy process. 1 http:// www. olver. com/ orangecounty/ PDF% 20files /Aftemative_Technologies_ Assessment , %20Orange %20County %20NC %208- 15 -08.pdf Environmental Assessment — Paydarfar Site 3 September 30, 2009