SAUGUS — Representatives from WIN Waste Innovations on Wednesday presented a Host Community Agreement to the Landfill Committee that, if approved, would provide the town with up to $15 million in economic benefit in exchange for permit rights to continue operating its ash-only landfill for 25 years.
Under the terms of the agreement, the town would receive as much as $15 million, including a $12 million lump-sum payment upon the company’s receipt of permits to continue operating the monofill. How the funds are used would be determined by the town.
The Host Community Agreement presented for consideration a formal document that outlines benefits to the town and WIN Waste. If the town approves it and the company is able to obtain the required permits, it will continue operating the monofill, in which residual ash from the waste-to-energy process is deposited, for 25 years, at which point it would close.
In addition to providing economic benefits, WIN Waste proposes to reduce NOx and other emissions below the current permit limits that are protective of public health and the environment. The company would also install a stand-alone ambient NOx monitoring station in Saugus.
WIN Waste Innovations Vice President Environment Compliance Jim Connolly explained that in addition to the $12 million lump sum, the agreement would include $125,000 in 25 annual payments to the town. Connolly added, however, that WIN Waste Innovations will pay the town only $10 million if required to spend more than $5 million in capital to continue operations.
“We are pleased to present a proposal for a Host Community Agreement,” said Connolly in a statement. “This is the culmination of extensive feedback we have received from the Landfill Committee for an aligned future.”
Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano said the agreement could be a way to provide a needed revenue increase to the town.
“It’s just high time that the town of Saugus starts reaping the benefits of having this plant in town,” Cogliano said.
The proposed host-community agreement comes following years of disagreement over the monofill’s fate.
In 2011, former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced that Saugus was to receive $261,696 of a $7.5 million settlement her office reached with WIN Waste Innovations for alleged violations of the Hazardous Waste Management Act and Clean Air Act.
In 2016, the Massachusetts Department of Health conducted a study in response to past allegations that the ash monofill was causing cancer. The report found that there was not an unusual pattern of cancer in Saugus.
In 2020, the WIN (Wheelabarator) subcommittee formed to improve relations between the town and the company.
“Everyone on the committee has had multiple opportunities to express what they would like to see included in the host-community agreement,” Jim Connolly said. “We look forward to continued transparent discussion.”
Subcommittee members will hear public comment and determine whether or not to approve the host-community agreement at their next meeting on Aug. 10. If approved, the agreement will also need review from the Saugus Board of Selectmen, Massachusetts Department of Health and Department of Environmental Protection before it could take effect. In total, the permitting process could take up to three years, according to Connolly.
At its Saugus facility, WIN Waste annually converts 400,000 tons of waste into renewable energy that is enough to power 20,000 homes. Waste-to-energy is endorsed by the EPA as the preferred method of disposal because it reduces the use of fossil fuels and eliminates long-haul trucking of waste to landfills. In Saugus, WIN Waste also recovers and recycles more than 4,200 tons of metals each year.
WIN Waste prioritizes the health and safety of its employees and the communities it serves by operating within strict federal, state, and local environmental regulations. The residual, inert ash from the waste-to-energy process is deposited into the monofill, which is expected to reach capacity within the next two years, after Saugus Town Meeting members voted to cap the height limit for all nearby landfills to 50 feet. Groundwater is protected by a barrier containment wall that provides equivalent or greater protection than a traditional liner.
“What we are asking is that we continue using the monofill on the same footprint with the same environmental controls, rather than trucking the ash to facilities that could be hours away, with environmental impacts that long-haul trucking would present,” Connolly said.
WIN Waste also strives to preserve habitats, promote sustainability, and engage community volunteers and employees in protecting the planet. WIN Waste developed and continues to operate Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, a 370-acre wildlife facility that seamlessly co-exists with the adjacent waste-to-energy facility.
Connolly said he believes the company can reach an agreement with the town that benefits both parties.
“Like in many towns across the region where essential industries call themselves home, we are confident we can achieve a solution that mutually benefits Saugus and WIN Waste,” he said.
Rachel Barber can be reached at [email protected].
