Bristol plant wants OK to burn biomedical waste

BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH) — Bristol residents and environment advocates are worried about what could potentially be in the air as a plant seeks state permits to burn biomedical waste.

Covanta, now known as Reworld, is located near Lake Compounce.

Jodie Maro, a Bristol resident and mother of two, said she’s concerned.

“It’s what’s in the waste, that you can’t see when they burn it, that bothers me,” Maro said. “It really scares me.”

If approved, the facility could burn up to 57 tons of medical waste a day. It would become the only medical waste incinerator in the northeast, and one of the largest in the country.

“Most places don’t use incineration for medical waste anymore,” said Mike Ewall, the executive director of Energy Justice Network. “There used to be over 6,200 medical waste incinerators in the country back in 1988. Now, there are fewer than 30. Medicine didn’t stop. It’s just that they started using non-burn, safer alternatives.”

Maro and other members of the group Bristol Residents for Clean Air are calling on leaders to protect the air.

“If we’re going to bring in medical waste, we’re going to burn; somebody should be policing it,” Maro said.

Bristol Mayor Jeff Caggiano said he’s not concerned by the proposal.

“This is highly regulated by the state; and Covanta themselves, now Reworld, will monitor the air quality that comes out of the stack,” Caggiano said. “If they have any divergences, they have to stop that.”

In a statement to News 8, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said it cannot comment because it’s a pending matter. A public hearing has been requested, and a conference to outline the procedures for it is scheduled for Aug. 7.

“The Department looks forward to hearing the perspectives of all interested stakeholders as part of the permit application process and technical review of all of the information submitted as part of the decision-making process,” the statement reads.

In a written statement to News 8, ReWorld said the Bristol site has been working with DEEP on permitting since 2021.

“We are not expanding the facility and there will be no changes to air emission standards,” the statement reads in part. “We are requesting a change to the facility’s current permit to include the processing of biomedical waste as defined by state regulations along with the permitted special wastes we process today.”

Regulations cap special waste at 8% of daily processing, which would equal processing 57 tons and receiving 114 tons. The permit allows for nonhazardous waste like IV bags, tubes and bedding to be burned. Hazardous waste, anatomical waste, fetuses and cadavers will be be processed.

“There are no biomedical waste incinerators in the Northeastern U.S. and Reworld Bristol is a safe, reliable, and economical alternative for Connecticut and for regional medical waste generators who have few options for disposal,” the statement reads. “Waste-to-Energy technology provides a safe and efficient solution for handling biomedical waste.”

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