Chapter 8 – Permitting issues

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a general overview of the types of major environmental permits most likely to be required for a proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) facility. Long before construction activities for a WTE facility can begin, project participants must have received all the necessary regulatory approvals for construction and operation. The environmental permitting process can potentially be the most time- consuming and controversial step on the road to implementation for many WTE projects. This is due in part to the extensive data needed on such projects that must often be submitted to governmental agencies in the form of detailed permit applications and environmental impact statements. Where ash is used as landfill cover, various advantages have been realized. The ash product exhibits high workability and is spreadable and compactable even under wet conditions. It also provides the same benefits as any daily cover soil, i.e. control of blowing paper, fire control, and vector control. As far as utilization with treatment is concerned, the treatment of solid waste combustor ash falls into three broad categories: solidification, stabilization, and incoming solid waste stream modification.