WastAway plans $200 million expansion
LISA HOBBS – News Editor
The expansion project was discussed during a Central Tennessee Regional Solid Waste Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
“We have decided that we are going to build a facility here at our plant that exists in Morrison right now to take in additional solid waste,” said WastAway Vice President of Engineering David Palmer. “We are going to convert it into our material. We are bringing in two technology providers. We aren’t finding end users, we are bringing them to our site. We are going to make renewable natural gas.”
Palmer says the produce will qualify as a cellulosic fuel, because it’s more than 80 percent cellulose, which is paper, cardboard, packaging, food, trees, etc.
“It goes in as garbage and comes out as very small particles. It’s in there long enough to be sterilized, so you don’t have to worry about pathogens coming out. I made RDF a long time ago. RDF is just shredded garbage. That’s all it is. This is not garbage. So, we have made the decision to expand our plant. We have committed half the equity required for this facility. We are right now discussing with two to three other groups about the rest of the equity. It’s not going to be cheap. It’s going to represent about a $200 million dollar investment, which we are making into this county.”
According to the information provided, the permit process has started, and engineers have been hired to conduct a traffic study and inspect the building to determine how best it can be utilized.
CTRSWPB is a regional governing body responsible for overseeing and planning solid waste management across Rutherford, Cannon, Coffee and Warren counties. It was established to coordinate waste management strategies, ensure compliance with state and local laws, and promote recycling and waste diversion programs.
CTRSWPB has no authority over the project. Palmer says the presentation was made to obtain letters of intent with those, such as government entities, who collect the garbage the plant will need once operational.
“There will be residual. About 15 percent of what comes to our plant. That will have to go to a landfill somewhere. We will find a place for it. Why we have come to everybody here is we would like to sign letters of intent with as many people as we can in this area. We would like to start this facility in our hometown. We would like to give the people in our hometown the benefit of the first plant. Because the economics are good enough now, we don’t have to have a very high tipping fee.”
Per the contract, the tipping fee will be set at $25 for the first five years. At the end of those five years, it will increase to $45 for the next five years. After that, it will be based on the inflation rate.
“We think that’s very competitive, even for Tennessee,” said Palmer. “We are doing that on purpose here. We want to get this built here, where we are, where you are. We’ve been here a long time and it’s time to reap the benefits of our work and it’s time for the community to see the benefits of it.”
The goal is to start taking garbage in August of 2028 and to be at full capacity at the beginning of 2029.
A video of the meeting can be found on Warren First’s Facebook page.