The annual cost to convert Pinellas County\u2019s refuse into electricity has increased by nearly $7 million.<\/p>\n
County commissioners unanimously approved a $320.85 million contract OCT. 14 with FCC Environmental Services to operate the Waste-to-Energy facility. The Houston-based company operates in seven states and recycled over 500,000 tons of garbage in 2024.<\/p>\n
The current operator, Reworld, sought to increase its compensation rate from roughly $25 per ton of processed trash to $38. Paul Sacco, director of solid waste, said the New Jersey-based company \u201cdidn\u2019t feel like they were making the money that they needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t willing to do that without testing the market,\u201d Sacco said. \u201cSo, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility, one of 75 nationally and 10 in the state, burns about 2,700 tons of refuse daily at 3095 114th Ave. N. Incinerating garbage reduces the adjacent landfill\u2019s volume by 90% and is critical to maintaining the 700-acre site\u2019s capacity.<\/p>\n
The process also creates enough electricity to power 45,000 homes and businesses daily. However, the county sells what it generates to Duke Energy.<\/p>\n
FCC will charge Pinellas $34.25 per ton of processed waste, with annual adjustments, and receive 10% of the monthly revenue from selling electricity to Duke. The county annually recovers approximately 60 million pounds of metals from \u201ccombustion residue,\u201d and will give the company 50% of those sales.<\/p>\n
Reworld is now receiving $38.49 per processed ton on a contract extension that terminates Dec. 31. Sacco said the county will save nearly $3 million annually by switching to FCC.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, over 10 years, it\u2019s a substantial savings,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Sacco said cost increases are typically \u201coutside of the operator\u2019s control.\u201d The county\u2019s primary concern is \u201cany kind of change in legislation\u201d regarding environmental regulations.<\/p>\n
Officials must import various mechanical parts, and Sacco said the price of chemicals used in the process constantly fluctuates. FCC will have the first right of refusal to complete separately funded capital projects at the plant.<\/p>\n
Pressure on the plant<\/p>\n
Capacity at the WTE facility and the county\u2019s only landfill is an ongoing issue, exacerbated by hurricanes Helene and Milton. Sacco said the amount of waste received has increased by 25% to 30% month-over-month since the storms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would expect that would continue on for probably the next two or three years, because people are now receiving their permits,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe try to incinerate as much as we can \u2026 but that puts pressure on the plant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The WTE facility processes between 830,000 and 880,000 tons of refuse annually. Excess garbage sent to the landfill takes up 10 times more space than if incinerators reduced it to ash.<\/p>\n
In July 2023, Sacco noted that the plant would soon reach its limits. \u201cIf we were to continue on the path that we are, and watch our population increase as projected, then in the year 2050, you\u2019ll see that we are way over capacity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re never going to have another landfill within Pinellas County,\u201d Sacco said at the time. \u201cNobody is going to want that in our backyard. And we just couldn\u2019t afford it. We wouldn\u2019t get one, and we wouldn\u2019t have one permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Sacco said Oct. 14 that the WTE facility is \u201coperating as good as it did when it was brand new\u201d following investments in 2022. He also noted there are opportunities to increase efficiency, and the operator is responsible for keeping \u201cpressure on the plant without running it into the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
The landfill\u2019s lifespan has decreased from 80 to 72 years since the 2024 hurricane season. Pinellas plans to prevent any waste from reaching the site by 2050, \u201cand everything that we continue to do is still marching to that number,\u201d Sacco said.<\/p>\n
He believes the county is \u201con a good trajectory with that.\u201d When asked if FCC would lead those efforts, Sacco said, \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
The WTE facility opened in 1983, and many of the people who work at the plant have served under multiple operators. Sacco said FCC will \u201cdo their best to transfer and assume\u201d most of Reworld\u2019s employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be working with Reworld and the county to make sure that transition is as smooth as possible,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n