The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has presented its 2010 Gold Waste to Energy Excellence Award to the Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) in Dickerson

This marks the third time since 1998 that the County’s RRF has earned the award that honors the highest level of excellence among the nation’s nearly 100 waste to energy (WTE) facilities and is the fourth major award earned by the facility operated for the County by Covanta Montgomery, Inc.

The award recognizes all aspects of the facility, including engineering design systems and technologies, environmental impacts and regulatory compliance, performance, program planning, worker safety, economics and cost effectiveness, utilization of equipment/systems and technologies, public acceptance, appearance and aesthetics, and innovation and creativity.

Waste is transported to the Resource Recovery Facility, burned at extremely high temperatures, and the heat is used to generate useful energy in the form of electricity. Metal is then recovered from the ash and recycled.

County Executive Ike Leggett applauded the recognition for the RRF. “This award validates the all-around excellence of our waste to energy facility, especially since it comes from an organization of our municipal and county peers all over the country.”

Leggett noted that his decision to cut nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions at the RRF in half with the first ever use of low NOx technology in a publicly owned facility “has not only benefited the environment but has set the bar high within the waste to energy industry.”

Department of Environmental Protection Director Bob Hoyt said, "Last year, we were recognized for having the best recycling facility in the country -- for the third time; then this year for the best waste-to-energy facility.  And, now,  the Division of Solid Waste Services is converting all County collection vehicles to natural gas.  We have a lot to be proud of. It's great to work in such an environmentally progressive, greenhouse friendly county."

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Media contact: Bonnie Ayers, 240-777-6507