Broken Arrow is the latest city to direct its trash to a renewable energy facility in Tulsa.
Broken Arrow has a contract with Covanta starting Dec. 1 to bring trash to the incinerator rather than a landfill. About 40,000 tons of trash will go there over the rest of this fiscal year.
City General Services Director Lee Zirk said taking trash to Covanta has a couple advantages.
"We will substantially reduce our costs by taking our refuse there. Also, it's a very sustainable way to dispose of the refuse, and it generates energy as well," Zirk said.
Broken Arrow will pay $490,000 a year, about 40 percent less than what the city pays for landfill use.
Broken Arrow’s sanitation department serves about 33,000 households. Zirk said they won't see many changes.
"But some items that are set at the curb are not processable at the plant, such as larg appliance items and such," Zirk said. "Those will be picked up under our bulky waste program."
Covanta’s incinerator generates steam that produces electricity or is sold to the adjacent Holly Frontier refinery.
