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Major Reductions in Toxics, Metals Seen From Controls on Incinerators, EPA Says
By Susan Bruninga

ISSN NEWS - JUNE 25, 2002 - Large municipal waste combustors reduced emissions of dioxins and furans by about 99 percent and heavy metals by more than 90 percent below 1990 levels by 2000, according to Environmental Protection Agency information made available June 24.

A June 20 memo from the combustion group in the EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards showed the reductions from the municipal waste combustors since maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards were put in place in 1995. The MACT standards are required under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

Total mass of dioxins and furans were reduced by 99 percent from the 218,000 grams measured in 1990 to 679 grams in 2000, the memo from Walt Stevenson in the combustion group said.

"The performance of the MACT retrofits has been outstanding," according to the memo, which was put in the docket for the MACT rulemaking. The memo was made available to BNA from industry sources.

Mercury emissions decreased by 95 percent from 45.2 tons in 1990 to 2.2 tons in 2000, the memo said. Cadmium decreased from 4.75 tons in 1990 to 0.33 tons a decade later, a 93 percent reduction.

Emissions of lead dropped from 52 tons annually to 4.76 tons, or about 91 percent in the same 10-year period.

Reductions in conventional pollutants were not as drastic in all cases, EPA said. Particulate matter was cut about 90 percent from 6,930 tons to 707 tons by 2000, but nitrogen oxides were only reduced about 17 percent from 56,000 tons in 1990 to 46,500 tons in 2000.

However, the industry is not considered a major source of NOx emissions. Sulfur dioxide emissions were reduced by about 86 percent, and hydrochloric acid releases fell by 94 percent during the decade, EPA said.

Results From 66 Facilities

Maria Zannes, president of the Integrated Waste Services Association, said the information was compiled from compliance test data at the 66 facilities across the United States that burn trash to generate energy for electricity production. IWSA said about 80,000 tons of trash is burned daily. "EPA's new emissions inventory is proof that the Clean Air Act results in significant environmental benefits for industry and the public it serves," Zannes said in a statement. Zannes told BNA that every one of the 66 large municipal waste combustors voluntarily supplied all of their compliance test data to EPA from which the emissions reduction figures were derived.

"We're the only industry for which EPA has the compliance test reports for every single facility," she said, adding that the industry wanted to tout the success of its emission controls. She estimated that the industry has spent about $1 billion to control its emissions since the MACT requirements were promulgated in 1995.

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