The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) has entered into a long-term contract with a Dutch company — one that specializes in processing municipal waste-to-energy ash and selling the recovered metals at premium prices — to site a $14 million facility next to the Frey Farm Landfill for that very purpose.

According to a press release issued Monday, LCSWMA already owns two waste-to-energy facilities, one in Bainbridge and the other in Harrisburg, that burn municipal solid waste and produce enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 45,000 area homes and businesses.

After combustion, the remaining ash from both power plants is transported to LCSWMA's Frey Farm Landfill in Conestoga and used as material to cover landfilled waste each day.