October 25, 2019 - Furthering Westchester County’s mission to uphold its status as a regional leader in environmental management, the Department of Environmental Facilities has entered into a ten-year contract extension with Wheelabrator Westchester L.P. Wheelabrator, the operator of the Charles Point Waste-to-Energy Facility that provides environmentally-safe disposal of waste in Westchester, has agreed to financial concessions that will result in an estimated savings of over $17.2 Million for the County. Additionally, the County negotiated for the ability to divert up to 62,500 tons of waste annually from municipal solid waste sent to Wheelabrator’s Facility in Peekskill.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “This ten-year contract extension will enable Westchester County to pursue a residential food scrap recycling program, which will help protect our County for future generations, create cost savings and allow for waste reduction. Since 2003, Westchester County has been able to reduce the amount of waste it delivers to the Wheelabrator facility by over 25 percent, which translates to millions of dollars in savings each year to Westchester County residents.”
Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Facilities Vincent Kopicki said: “The County has been partners with Wheelabrator for over 30 years and we look forward to continuing that relationship. They have proven to be excellent stewards of the Waste-to-Energy Facility and our partnership ensures that the County’s residential waste is not landfilled but used to create clean energy.”
Pursuant to the contract with Wheelabrator, the County, on behalf of the Refuse Disposal District, delivers the Refuse Disposal District’s residential trash to the Charles Point Waste-to-Energy Facility. The facility processes up to 2,250 tons of household and commercial waste every day. The waste is transferred to utility-type boilers that recover thermal energy in the form of high-pressure steam. The steam-powered turbines generate 63,000 kilowatts of electricity an hour, enough to power approximately 67,000 homes. Additional steam not required for electricity generation is marketed to a nearby commercial customer, White Plains Linen, for use as a clean, reliable and renewable energy source.
The Refuse Disposal District is comprised of 36 of the County’s 43 municipalities. The 36 district municipalities include 90 percent of the County’s population.