Trash Plant Closing

[AJ]

Trash plant closing

The city wouldnt renew its contract and the company cant find suplimentals to bring in to keep the plant open. They've barely had enough trash the past few weeks to run one boiler. The plant will be torn down and the land restored back to what it was before the structure was built.

Personally, I think its a shame.

[Wrinkle]

This is the best news since....well, I don't know when. Maybe since the Cubs won the World Series.

[Conan71]

Where did you read it would be knocked down?  I didn't see that anywhere in the story.

Personally, I don't know why they didn't try to contract with surrounding areas for waste disposal.  There are rail heads near or on the site which would lend itself to incinerating trash for other municipalities.  

The closing is just another twist in Tulsa's bizarre political landscape.  

[RecycleMichael]

They did try for suburb trash (insert your own joke here).

I introduced them to every trash hauler and elected official nearby. They just couldn't compete with the big haulers owning their own landfill and locked-in, long-term contracts...

[AJ]

It isnt published yet that it will be torn down. I know many people that work there and my livelyhood comes from a power plant. Thats the procedure when a power plant is no longer operational. It gets torn down.

They've been tring for several months to get contracts for suplimental trash. No offers of any.

[Wrinkle]

Well, really now, don't you think the 'plan' was to bankrupt the thing so the City could buy it back for cents on the dollar? (with our money again)

Citi bunch is countering with a demo plan.
Perhaps it's in the contract to restore the site once it's life has ended, but that'd be a big switch of governing body-type contracts.

Tearing it down would be a big improvement to the local environment. However, in this case, it'd be destruction of evidence.

[RecycleMichael]

What evidence?

I have been involved with the trash-to-energy plant since the beginning.

I protested the idea before it was built and then when I was a city employee they made me a tour guide out there.

Like many things, I can argue on both sides.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by AJ

I know many people that work there and my livelyhood comes from a power plant. Thats the procedure when a power plant is no longer operational. It gets torn down.

My livelihood is also mildly related to power plants and know they don't get torn down just because they close. There are several closed plants still in existence. Many are "mothballed" with the hopes of refiring or selling it.

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

There are several closed plants still in existence. Many are "mothballed" with the hopes of refiring or selling it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&t=k&q=United+States&ie=UTF8&ll=36.115623,-95.549877&spn=0.016571,0.029097&z=15&om=1

[Chris]

What am I looking at patric?

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

What evidence?

I have been involved with the trash-to-energy plant since the beginning.

I protested the idea before it was built and then when I was a city employee they made me a tour guide out there.

Like many things, I can argue on both sides.

didnt we just finish paying the mortgage on that?  how come my bill hasnt went down?

[RecycleMichael]

The majority of the financing was paid for by commercial customers rather than residential customers. Commercial customers have seen their charges from the city go down around 70%.

There should be some slight reductions for residential cutomers coming soon. The TARE board has recommended a 7.5% reduction for the city council to approve.

[Oil Capital]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

What evidence?

I have been involved with the trash-to-energy plant since the beginning.

I protested the idea before it was built and then when I was a city employee they made me a tour guide out there.

Like many things, I can argue on both sides.

Why were you opposed to it?

[RecycleMichael]

I thought the money would have better spent building a recycling facility and boosting our recyclables collection.

I also did not like that burning trash caused some environmental problems, especially dioxins. The trash plant added pollution control equipment later that lessened this problem.

Trash usually doesn't harm us, it is just ugly and smelly. When you burn it, it becomes potentially harmful.

[perspicuity85]

What's up with the general lack of recyling activity in Tulsa anyway?  Is there still no curbside recycling pick-up?  If so, why not?