A publication of Work On Waste USA, Inc., 82 Judson, Canton, NY 13617 315-379-9200 FEBRUARY 1995

Incinerator Tons On-Line Air Pollution Controls Special Wastes

Location per day Date/Operator Controls (APC) Accepted

Bridgeport 2250 1988 Baghouse and dry-scrubber. (*) According to a 5-month investigation of CT Wheelabrator EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory records by the Bridgeport Post, it was reported that this incinerator burned a total of 36,488 pounds in 1990 of industrial toxic waste, which included 7,065 lbs. lead compounds; 1,500 zinc oxide; 400 lbs. bis(2-ethylhexyl)adipate; 60 lbs. copper compounds; 18,970 lbs. of ethylene glycol; 2,300 lbs. glycol ethers; 1,542 lbs. copper; 1,542 lbs. zinc compounds; 250 lbs. benzoyl peroxide; 250 lbs. styrene; and 2,600 lbs. chromium compounds. According to a report published May 11, 1992, pg A-4: “Health officials already know that more than half of Bridgeport’s children under age 6 have blood lead levels high enough to be considered toxic.” What is apparently a clear violation of burning hazardous waste, “Bridgeport RESCO officials told The Post they burned the used fabric filters from the incinerator’s baghouse after they installed new filters.” According to a May 10, 1992, report, pg A-7: “Bridgeport RESCO...does not monitor for heavy metal emissions, such as lead and mercury. No testing for metals has been done since the plant was tested for its final permit to operate in 1989.” This 3-part newspaper series, “Toxic Trash,” was published May 10,11,12, 1992, in the Bridgeport Post. (The newspaper is now called the Connecticut Post. Address: 410 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604, Tel: 203-333-0161.) (**) In 1993, the state allowed, and helped pay for, the incinerator to burn all of the material from a 35 foot high, 2-acre illegal construction & demolition dumpsite, known as Bridgeport’s Mt. Trashmore. It was well known by the state that federally designated hazardous wastes were buried in this mammoth dump, such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, creosote, asbestos and drums of sodium hydroxide. Incredibly, at the same time the citizens were in court, in the summer of 1993, litigating against the state in an effort to prohibit this material from being burned, the dump was being trucked to the incinerator! After the entire dump was trucked to the Bridgeport incinerator, the State Environmental Commissioner, Timothy R.E. Keeney, commented: “We have eliminated a significant environmental and public health threat...” (New York Times, August 5, 1993, Neighbors hail demise of Bridgeport Trash Pile, p B7.)

Bristol CT 650 1988 Baghouse and dry-scrubber. According to the report listed above (*), this Ogden Martin incinerator accepted a total of 4,860 pounds of industrial toxic wastes in 1990. Although the incinerator operator, Ogden Martin, has denied this newspaper account, the lead reporter of this account confirmed that his paper never retracted this report. _

Hartford CT 2000 1988 Baghouse and dry-scrubber. According to the report listed above (*), this Ogden Martin incinerator accepted a total of 305 pounds of industrial toxic waste in 1990.

Wallingford 420 1989 Baghouse and dry-scrubber. According to the report listed above (*), this CT Ogden Martin incinerator accepted a total of 1,700 pounds of industrial toxic waste.

Windham CT 108 1981 Up until 1990, no APC Medical, pharmaceutical and industrial Windham town controls. In 1990, a waste were burned. Incinerator is now shut Baghouse & scrubber were added. down (1993) because of citizen activists.

Lake County 528 1991 Baghouse, dry scrubber. In 1992, this incinerator burned approx.

FL Ogden Martin 16.5% of the medical waste generated in Florida. It has burned plants contaminated with the fungicide Benlate even though the manufacturer, DuPont, notified the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation “that landfill burying is the best way to dispose of the plants”. (July 8, 1992, Daily Commercial, Lake County, FL, “Ogden cited for burning treated plants.”) According to a March 16, 1993, report in the Leesburg Daily Commercial (FL), paper: “The company operating the plant, Ogden Martin Systems of Lake, accepts tons of other unidentified ‘special wastes’...An attorney for the state on Wednesday told a reporter he could be charged with a felony if he published some of the companies generating the waste or brand names of products being burned...” “State won’t open study...”_

Pasco County 1050 1991 Baghouse, dry-scrubber. In 1994, this incinerator accepted 750 tons of plastic 55

FL Ogden Martin gallon drums that had contained agricultural pesticides. Concerned citizens who tried to block the incinerator from accepting this material were told by Florida state agencies that neither they nor the USEPA had categorized this waste, and were therefore unable to prevent the incinerator from accepting this material, even though they were made aware that many workers at the Spokane, WA, incinerator became ill when identical waste was burned in the Spring of 1994. This waste was sent from Alberta, Canada, via a broker in Texas, to this Florida incinerator, at the same time that the hazardous waste incinerator in Swans Hill, Alberta, Canada, was short of waste to burn.

Spokane WA 800 1991 Baghouse, dry scrubber, In 1994 this incinerator accepted tons of plastic 55-gallon Wheelabrator NOX. drums that had contained agricultural pesticides. The plastic drums came from Alberta, Canada. Incinerator workers became ill when this material was burned. This incinerator is unusual inasmuch as it has not been oversized but continues to seek “special wastes” to burn. (Of note here is that “special wastes” provide the financial incentives that coerce MSW incinerator operators to accept these problematic waste streams.)

Honolulu 2160 1990 ESP and dry-scrubber. Accepts medical waste.

HI Ogden Martin

Haverhill 1650 1989 ESP and dry-scrubber According to investigative reports published in the MA Ogden Martin Bridgeport Post, May 10, 1992, this incinerator accepted industrial hazardous waste in 1990, based on a review of the USEPA’s Toxic Release Inventory records. (See “Bridgeport, CT” (*), above, for reference.)

Millbury MA 1500 1988 ESP and dry-scrubber. Same as above.

Wheelabrator No. Andover 1500 1985 ESP. Same as above

MAWheelabrator

Baltimore 2250 1985 ESP. Same as above.

MD Wheelabrator

Rochester 1800 1989 ESP and dry-scrubber. Accepts medical waste.

(SEMASS) MA Bechtel

Perham MN 116 1986 ESP Up until 1991 the incinerator burned waste oil and medical Quadrant waste. In a 10-month period they burned one million gallons of waste oil. Those practices stopped after (1) citizens videoed thick black smoke billowing out the stacks and the state regulators were able to recognize violations; (2) a fetus was found lying at the base of a conveyor belt. The incinerator is located next to a wheat field.< /U>

Babylon NY 750 1989 Baghouse & dry-scrubber. Accepts medical waste

Ogden Martin Hempstead 2505 1989 Baghouse & dry-scrubber. This facility is a good example of an oversized incinerator

NY American Ref-Fuel that searches for waste to burn. Currently burning ‘Fuel Oil Spill Debris.’ According to a January 4, 1995, “Update” letter from Viki De Jong of the Citizens Committee for Civic Action: “We also visited the incinerator and inspected the ‘special waste’ delivery records for October and November, 1994. They indicated that this waste continues to arrive from many areas off-[Long] Island and outside of New York State. There appears to be an increase in the amount of plastic materials incinerated which we view as a reason for concern. There are also many examples of unknown delivery content i.e. a load accepted from an out-of-state manufacturing plant with a manifest that indicated ‘plant debris and sweepings.’ We do not know what was manufactured but these facilities are still classified as industrial rather than commercial and by DEC [NY State Department of Environmental Conservation] definition not to be disposed of at a municipal solid waste incinerator...” Address for Viki De Jong: 800 Captains Gate, Westbury, NY 11590. Tel: 516-333-1929.

Hudson Falls 400 1992 ESP and dry-scrubber. This incinerator began to accept commercial, pharmaceuti-

NY Foster Wheeler cal and industrial waste immediately after the emissions tests, needed for their permit to burn, were completed.

Peekskill NY 2250 1984 ESP According to investigative reports published in the Wheelabrator Bridgeport Post, May 10, 1992, this incinerator accepted industrial hazardous waste in 1990, based on a review of the USEPA’s Toxic Release Inventory records. (See “Bridgeport, CT” (*), above, for reference)

Tulsa OK 1125 1986 ESP Accepts medical waste. Ogden Martin

Marion OR 550 1986 Baghouse & dry-scrubber. Accepts medical waste.

Ogden Martin Alexandria 975 1988 ESP This incinerator accepts the following “supplemental

VA Ogden Martin wastes” for $200-250 a ton: Packaging wastes: paper, cardboard, Styrofoam, confidential wastes; Commodity wastes: expired food products, health products, retail products, cold remedies, shampoos & conditioners, sun tan products, cosmetics, animal feed, microfiche, computer tapes, tires; Pharmaceutical wastes: expired prescription/non-prescription, bulk or consumer packages; Manufacturing wastes: plastic & cardboard trimmings, carpet scraps; Shop debris: various absorbents of non-hazardous material, paints/inks, flooring material.