Waste-to-Energy Firm Wheelabrator Gains Florida County Contract

Waste-to-energy firm Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. has reached a five-year agreement with Florida’s Broward County to dispose of its municipal solid waste (MSW).

The Hampton, N.H.-based subsidiary of Waste Management Inc. said in a news release that the Broward County Commission approved the exclusive contract for disposal of the county’s MSW and bulk trash. The contract takes effect July 2013.

The commission also approved an inter-local agreement that allows county municipalities to receive solid waste disposal under the same terms and conditions. In addition, municipalities can arrange for the county to manage administrative functions connected with solid waste disposal.

Wheelabrator in Broward County converts 4,500 tons of solid waste into enough energy to power 100,000 homes daily. Florida has a recycling goal of 75 percent by 2020, and the state legislature defined Wheelabrator’s waste-to-energy process as recycling.

Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach, is the second most populous county in Florida.