Dive Brief:
- Reworld is working with Stanislaus County, California, to wind down operations of its mass burn combustion plant in Modesto, ending operations on Dec. 2, the company confirmed. The facility, opened in 1987, is the last operating municipal solid waste incinerator in the state.
- Reworld, previously known as Covanta, warned county officials last year that the 800 tons-per-day plant was struggling to remain financially viable, citing the end of a state policy that removed waste diversion credits from incineration. The company proposed a new contract or increased tipping fees.
- Reworld's other remaining facility in California, located in Long Beach, closed in January. The company is now focusing “new business opportunities as part of our service expansion efforts in North America,” communications director Nicolle Robles said in an emailed statement.
Dive Insight:
California’s waste disposal system is in the midst of a major transition thanks to a series of laws passed in recent years. SB 1383, the state’s organics recycling law, is requiring local governments to divert that waste stream to compost facilities or anaerobic digesters, removing a moisture-heavy substance from landfilling or incineration.
AB 1857, a separate bill signed into law in 2022, ended jurisdictions’ ability to meet a portion of their goal to divert waste from landfills by sending waste to incineration. The law removed nearby jurisdictions' incentive to feed waste to the facilities in Long Beach and Stanislaus County.
The facilities had also drawn strong opposition from local environmental justice groups who have campaigned against pollution. They argue the technology is no longer needed as policies like SB 1383 move the state toward a zero waste system.
One such group, Valley Improvement Projects, has created a community-led zero waste plan for Stanislaus County. The plan focused on extending the life of existing disposal resources, specifically the county's Fink Road Landfill, by reducing the acceptance of waste from sources outside the county and ending acceptance of ash from the Reworld facility. County staff has previously warned disposal rates could double at the landfill if the Reworld facility shuts down.
The plan also outlined support for waste reduction, recycling and composting. To achieve success with those programs, Valley Improvement Projects is advocating for a single-use plastic ban, a waste rate structure that is correlated to the size of a resident’s cart, deconstruction requirements and other initiatives.
Speaking at the virtual National Zero Waste Conference last week, Bianca Lopez, co-founder and project director at Valley Improvement Projects, said the county has an opportunity to build on the diversion work it began with a recycling program in the 1970s.
“The county and the municipalities in this area are constrained with capacity and funding, just as we all are,” Lopez said. “But ... our infrastructure is very well and ready for us to advance on a lot of these programs and projects that we have highlighted.”
Lopez said policies like AB 1857 have helped her organization, in collaboration with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and other anti-incineration groups, "starve the beast" and end the use of incineration in the state. She said her organization was “celebrating” Reworld's pending closure, in an emailed statement Monday.
"This is a huge win for our community, and we’re excited to work with the city and county to build a true zero-waste plan that not only keeps waste out of landfills but also creates green jobs and protects our air quality," Lopez said.
Reworld's contract with Stanislaus County was scheduled to continue until 2027. County CEO Jody Hayes said officials are still negotiating with Reworld and other partners to come to a final disposal agreement, The Modesto Bee reported.
While Reworld is pivoting away from its California WTE facilities, it’s continuing expansion in other geographic areas and services. A recently announced investment from GIC, the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, is expected to accelerate those plans.
Megan Quinn contributed to this story
