Essex County Resource Recovery Facility
The Essex County Resource Recovery Facility, also known as Covanta Essex, is a waste-to-energy incineration power station in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 1990, it is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and operated by Covanta Energy. It is located adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike between Raymond Boulevard and the Passaic River in Newark.
As of 2012, the facility processed 2,800 tons of municipal solid waste per day, its two generators producing approximately 65 megawatts of energy. The facility burns garbage from the 22 municipalities of Essex County and from New York City's Manhattan Community Board Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
As of January 1, 2013 the PANYNJ gave Covanta control of the facility through 2032, with optional extension to 2052. As part of the agreement the New York City Department of Sanitation will continue to use about 50% of the plant's disposal capacity. Convanta agreed to invest $75 to $100 million for operational improvements, including a modern particulate emissions control system and a new recycling system for ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
In June 2013, a refuelling station for trucks using compressed natural gas opened at the facility.
The facility has been a point of cntention with residents of Newark, notably the Ironbound.
