Republic Seizes Opportunity with Ash Metal Recovery Facility at a Washington Landfill

Republic Services Inc. recently unveiled a new ash metal recovery facility at its landfill in Roosevelt, Wash. The facility is set to process all newly delivered ash to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill as well as systematically process all of the existing ash currently in the landfill, according to the Phoenix-based company. 

The process “presents new promise for the conservation of natural resources, and in certain cases opportunity to preserve limited landfill space for materials that cannot otherwise be recovered,” says Mike Huycke, Northwest area president for Republic Services.

Republic will be working with Lab USA. The Green Bay, Wisc.-based firm specializes in reducing emissions to air, water and soil by flue gas treatment, wastewater treatment, treatment of residues and of bottom ashes. Lab USA built the ash treatment and recycling facility that will recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals from ash waste at the landfill. (Ferrous metals contain iron such as steel, stainless steel and cast iron. Non-ferrous metals do not contain iron and do not have a magnetic quality such as aluminum, copper, lead and tin.) These materials were previously not being recovered.

Lab USA’s process will treat more than 1 million tons of ash. And the companies estimate the facility will recover and recycle more than 46,200 tons of ferrous metals and 42,900 tons of non-ferrous metals annually. It will treat incoming ash as well as process the ash currently sitting at the site.

“Lab’s process is specific to incinerator bottom ash and combined ash streams,” Huycke says. “It can be applied at any landfill that receives ash separated from other waste streams, regardless of the ash being placed in the cell or use as alternative daily cover. Lab USA has a contract with RD Davis recycling in Portland for the transport and resale of the metal materials.” 

The ash is coming from the City of Spokane incinerator. Spokane burns their garbage to generate electricity. The ash is then transported to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill via rail—two or three trains per week.

The ash metal recovery facility features seven eddy current machines, three over-belt magnets, 10 belt conveyors, four screens, and utilizes more than 17,000 yards of recycled asphalt with six full-time employees, according to Brent DuBois, president and CEO with Lab USA. The firm’s technology is called RecuLAB NF.  “The mechanical process to sift ash, recover metals and recycle valuable materials from bottom ash,” DuBois says. “Eddy currents are used in conjunction with sorting screens and magnetics.”

The metals recovery will be conducted along with the landfill’s existing gas to energy operations. Working with the Klickitat Public Utility District, Republic recovers enough methane to produce energy to power up to 30,000 local households annually.

“The ash processing facility continues a tradition of environmental stewardship and technical innovation that has always been present at the Roosevelt Regional Landfill. Klickitat County is a proud partner with Republic Services and Lab USA,” Kevin Berry, Klickitat County Solid Waste director, said in a statement.