The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced this month its plans to redevelop the Materials Innovation and Recycle Authority (MIRA) facility in Hartford. Connecticut’s largest waste facility, MIRA is set to undergo a transformation that will halve the amount of trash burned and dramatically increase the recovery of recyclable materials and organics.
Currently, one-third of the state’s trash (more than 700,000 tons per year) is sent to the MIRA waste-to-energy facility, where material is combusted for energy generation. The facility’s aging equipment is prone to unplanned outages.
Planned environmental benefits of the upgraded facility include the recovery of over 40 percent of incoming Municipal Solid Waste for beneficial use by employing enhanced recycling, anaerobic digestion, and composting technologies. The remaining material will be combusted for the production of electricity in a refurbished power system. Other benefits include the transformation of waste into valuable commodities, the preservation of in-state waste management capacity, and the creation of new jobs.
