The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to meet on June 10 to consider legislation-- House Bill 1808 (Mackenzie-R-Lehigh)-- to exempt a garbage processing plant from DEP’s waste facility regulations.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie on behalf of a waste company in Berks County that plans to construct a 1,600 ton/day waste processing facility that would remove plastics for recycling.

At an information meeting held by the Committee on September 24 about the bill, Joe D’Ascenzo, Founder, President and Chief Technology Officer of ReFined Plastics LLC said the company would bring in unsorted municipal waste, process the waste to remove plastics then use an advanced pyrolysis and gasification technology to turn the plastics into “virgin grade” plastic pellets for use as feedstock by other industries.

The balance of the waste would be sorted for other recyclables and the remaining waste converted to fuel to power the facility.

D’Ascenzo said they would bring in about 1,600 tons of waste per day in rail cars or trucks and convert it into 150 tons of plastic pellets to be sold on the open market.  He said the technology they would use to make the pellets is oxygen free and emission free.

The King of Prussia-based company told Cumru Township in August of 2018 they plan to use the decommissioned former Met-Ed Titus Station power plant at 296 Poplar Neck Road, Birdsboro in Cumru Township near Reading for their plant.

The proposed plant site is adjacent to the Western Berks Landfill that is authorized to take in 1,000 tons per day of municipal waste and borders, for a short distance, the Schuylkill River Trail.

D’Ascenzo said the facility may employ approximately 160 people when the plant is at full capacity.  Read more here.

A second bill on the agenda-- House Bill 2219 (James-R-Venango)-- would add a representative of the coal refuse energy industry to DEP’s Mining and Reclamation Advisory Board.

The meeting will be held in Room G-50 of the Irvis Building starting at 10:00 a.m.  Click Here to watch the meeting live online.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) serves as Majority Chair of the House Environmental Committee and can be contacted by calling 717-783-1707 or sending email to: dmetcalf@pahousegop.com. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-7647 or sending email to: gvitali@pahouse.net.

Related Articles This Week:

-- House Committee Hears From Company Planning To Bring 1,600 Tons/Day Of Municipal Waste To Berks County, Process It, But It Doesn’t Want To Be Regulated As A Waste Facility

-- Republican Senate Committee Set To Consider Bills On June 10 To Block Regulations Because They Have Too Many Words; Promote 3rd Party Permit Reviews

-- Target DEP: Republican Senate Bill Would Block All Regulations, Shut Down Citizen Advisory Committee Meetings During A Declared Emergency

Related Articles:

-- House Committee To Consider Bill Taking Away DEP’s Authority To Enact Carbon Pollution Reduction Programs For Power Plants June 9

-- New PEC Podcast: Fmr Gov. Tom Ridge On Conservatives Being Out Of Touch On The Environment

-- Op-Ed:My Fellow Conservatives Are Out Of Touch On The Environment - Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge

[Posted: June 3, 2020]

6/8/2020