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The City of Gallatin, TN, selected GBB to perform a review and evaluation of the 200 tpd waste-to-energy facility owned and operated by the Resource Authority of Sumner County, and the entire city’s associated solid waste disposal costs for belonging to the 25 year old Authority.
The GBB Project Team reviewed Authority related contracts and costs of service, inter-governmental agreements and City responsibilities, waste and ash quantity reports, facility operations and maintenance reports including availability, current budget and other pertinent documents associated with the operation of the Authority and its financial obligations. GBB also reviewed documents pertaining to the City’s waste management operations including budgets, cost summaries, and solid waste quantities by category. In addition, GBB conducted meetings in Gallatin and visited the waste-to-energy facility, the ash monofill, yard waste composting facility, C&D landfill and other key sites related to solid waste management.
Following a detailed review of the material/information provided and roundtable discussions with City management/elected officials, GBB developed a presentation to City decision makers that addressed the following:
• An overview of the current waste-to-energy facility operational status, including requirements for meeting the Clean Air Act amendment’s;
• An overview of the Authority’s current financial status;
• The actual marginal costs for each form of service currently provided by the Authority;
• An overview of the solid waste management and recycling markets in the region;
• Identification of alternative solid waste management scenarios to consider, including closure of the small waste to energy facility and transfer station-to-landfill options; and
• Presented an evaluation to answer waste management issues raised by various options concerning the Authority and the WTE facility, including operation with City waste only and closure and facility demolition, and the costs associated with each, and alternative waste management handling scenarios.
GBB’s final recommendation to the City was not to entertain any further consideration of buying the waste-to-energy facility for City use, but rather “re-tool the Authority” after shutdown of the plant (scheduled for May, 2005) and establish a detailed 5-year Business Plan with Cost Centers and Specific Budgets/Goals, including detailed Capital Improvement Budget.
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