Sponsors oppose medical waste facility proposed on East Greenwich-West Warwick border
STATEHOUSE â Sen. Bridget Valverde and Rep. Justine Caldwell introduced joint legislation last week which would prohibit new, high-heat waste incineration facilities in Rhode Island.
The bill comes on the heels of outcry and concern from their local constituents, who in large part, have come out in strong opposition against a proposed medical waste facility on the border of East Greenwich and West Warwick.Â
MedRecycler Inc. hopes to open its waste-to-energy plant at 1600 Division Road, and if approved, plans to dispose of up to 70 tons of medical waste a day. By using a process known as pyrolysis, which indirectly heats the waste in the absence of oxygen, the material would be evaporated into syngas, rather than just burned.Â
UpdatedThu, May 6, 2021 at 8:54 pm ET
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Sen. Bridget Valverde and Rep. Justine Caldwell spoke on the State House steps with Kevin Budris, a staff attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation. (Mary Serreze/Patch)
PROVIDENCE, RI Sen. Bridget Valverde and Rep. Justine Caldwell stood on the State House steps today and spoke in support of their legislation to prohibit new high-heat waste processing plants in Rhode Island. We re here today to talk about protecting the health and safety of Rhode Islanders, and the health of our environment and planet, said Valverde. Rhode Islanders do not want our state to be a destination for other peoples contaminated trash, said Caldwell.
R.I. attorney general calls for pause in review of medical waste-to-energy proposal
Neronha raises concerns about âuntested technologyâ for proposed West Warwick facility that would convert medical waste into electricity using a high-heat process
By Edward Fitzpatrick Globe Staff,Updated April 15, 2021, 5:03 p.m.
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The building at 1600 Division Road in West Warwick is the site of a proposed MedRecycler plant that would use high heat to convert medical waste into electricity.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
WEST WARWICK, R.I. â Attorney General Peter F. Neronha on Thursday called for pausing the state review process for a proposed medical waste-to-energy plant in West Warwick.
Bill would bar use of high-heat plants to process trash providencejournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from providencejournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Opinion/Budris: Burning waste has no place in Rhode Island
Kevin Budris
Kevin Budris is zero waste staff attorney at Conservation Law Foundation in Providence.
Once again, Rhode Islanders are facing the threat of dirty, dangerous waste incineration in our communities. New Jersey-based MedRecycler is proposing to build and operate a facility in West Warwick that will burn medical waste using a form of incineration called pyrolysis. If that weren’t enough, the Rhode Island legislature is considering bills that would allow facilities to burn plastics without complying with the state’s solid waste laws and regulations.
It’s time to close Rhode Island’s doors, once and for all, to all attempts to burn waste. Burning waste in any form is a threat to our communities, our environment, and our climate. Contrary to false claims from proponents, it does not generate renewable energy. Compared to coal-fired power plants, waste burning incinerators emit more carbon dioxide, more