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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Thinking ahead about solid waste

Spokane’s population is growing and so is the pile of garbage burned at the Waste-to-Energy Plant.

Now, Spokane Regional Solid Waste System officials are starting to plan for the day when capacity at the plant runs out.

And depending on how much it costs or where the garbage goes, you might think it stinks.

The Spokane County Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan update is routinely conducted every five years, but this time that update will be more in-depth than usual, examining both the kind and the amount of waste produced and how to get rid of it in the coming years.

“This is the first time we’ve done a comprehensive study of the solid waste system since the 1980s,” said Spokane County Utilities Director Bruce Rawls.

In 2011 local agreements to run the incinerator expire and debt service to build the plant ends.

Those payments account for about one-third of tipping fees, said Rawls.

Contracts to provide electricity generated by the Waste-to-Energy Plant to Puget Sound Energy and with Wheelabrator to run the plant will also be expiring before the next five-year review, said Rawls.

But don’t expect that rates will necessarily go down when the Waste-to-Energy Plant debt payments are through. The study will be examining long-term disposal options that could require future investments, including a new landfill or building a third burner at the plant. Long-haul shipping of waste to landfills outside the county and other options will also be studied.

Spokane County commissioners were briefed on the upcoming plan update Tuesday morning.

Besides the environmental and economic factors to consider, commissioners acknowledged the political issues different options present.

“You mention that third burner. That’s going to be a really hard sell if we’re still accepting waste from outside the county,” Commissioner Phil Harris said.

Some trash from Lincoln County is burned at Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy Plant.

Expanding solid waste capacity won’t be as difficult as adding wastewater treatment capacity, though, said Rawls. He added that the environmental issues surrounding building a burner or a landfill aren’t as serious as those facing the Spokane River, where the county’s wastewater treatment effluent is discharged.