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Minutes - Regular Meeting <br /> Solid Waste Advisory Board <br /> April 2, 2009 <br /> Approved May 7, 2009 <br /> We found a consensus with the GBB report that Mass Burn, including RDF , is the only <br /> proven and economically [viable] technology that is out there today . Consistently we <br /> found in the report and our review that other technologies represent potential but are <br /> not proven or economically feasible or reliable . The minimum viable MSW volume <br /> for operation of any kind of plant we got feedback from was 500 tons / day with <br /> consensus that 1 , 000 tons / day were better to make it operate efficiently . This would <br /> necessitate some regional partnering for Orange County . The regional partnering <br /> agreement will likely necessitate a transfer station if WtE is selected as the long-term <br /> solution. The forming of a regional agreement, the siting, permitting and building a <br /> WtE plan would probably, if very actively pursued, take at least 10 years, but a <br /> realistic time frame would be 15 - 20 years . <br /> SWAB Comments <br /> Vickers states that there isn' t enough waste for Orange County to go on it own . If it <br /> o <br /> did go into a consortium it would be [one of] the smaller players which is a reality . <br /> Tipton states that at the County Commissioners meeting where the landfill gas <br /> agreement was approved the Unity was asked if it would be interested in <br /> ivers <br /> exploring WtE and responded yes . There have been no substantive discussions at this <br /> time and definitely no commitments . In advance of any substantive discussions <br /> county staff and the University plan to work together in the future . While I think it is <br /> great that the County and the University are interested in working together to explore <br /> new cutting edge options of waste management and energy recovery that is the <br /> University ' s interest -- energy recovery and carbon credits; the topic is so uncertain <br /> and so far in the future that the very remote possibility should not enter into the <br /> decisions that need to be made right now about the transfer station. The University is <br /> not party to the transfer station decision . <br /> Yuhasz asks the $ 6 - $S million annual operation costs for a 500 ton/ day facility that <br /> would be after whatever you recover from selling electricity . <br /> Parker states that that was the understanding . That was the net cost. <br /> Yuhasz states that the suggestion that we do more recycling, how much additional <br /> recycling do we have to do in order to get the remaining level of trash down a level <br /> that was even on the order of the remaining ash from a WtE plant. <br /> Sallach states that with a WtE plant you are probably looking at depending on the <br /> type - RDF or Mass Burn, somewhere in the range of 15 % by volume . You would <br /> have to have significant reduction in comparison to what is currently done . The rates <br /> that you have currently achieved are extremely high when you start comparing other <br /> 4 <br />