Covanta, Lee County, Fla., Extend Waste-to-Energy Partnership to 2031

MORRISTOWN, N.J. - Covanta, a world leader in sustainable waste and energy solutions, announced it has reached an agreement to extend its public-private partnership with the Lee County Solid Waste Resource Recovery Facility through 2031.

For more than 20 years, the Fort Myers, Fla., facility, owned by Lee County and operated by Covanta, has converted the household waste from residents of Hendry and Lee Counties into a reliable, sustainable source of electricity, while capturing metals for recycling.

“Our partnership with Covanta at the Resource Recovery Facility ensures the community has a responsible, long-term environmental and economic solution for our waste disposal,” said Doug Whitehead, director of solid waste at Lee County.

Every year, the facility processes more than 622,000 tons of waste that would otherwise have ended up in landfills. Landfills are generators of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that has been identified as a leading cause of global warming by entities such as the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The Lee County facility uses waste to produce 57 megawatts of electricity around the clock, which is enough to power 32,700 homes for a year. It also recovers 21,500 tons of metal for recycling annually, equal to building 16,000 cars.

“We are pleased to build on our partnership with Lee County to keep providing the community with a smart, sustainable solution for waste, while also contributing to a cleaner environment by keeping up to 90 percent of waste out of landfills,” said Derek Veenhof, Covanta’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The original contract had been set to expire in 2024. The new agreement includes an optional four-year extension.

About Covanta

Covanta is a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions. Annually, Covanta's modern Waste-to-Energy facilities safely convert approximately 21 million tons of waste from municipalities and businesses into clean, renewable electricity to power one million homes and recycle 600,000 tons of metal. Through a vast network of treatment and recycling facilities, Covanta also provides comprehensive industrial material management services to companies seeking solutions to some of today's most complex environmental challenges. For more information, visit covanta.com.