Miami-Dade County recommends site for Waste-to-Energy Facility

DORAL, FL – A new report issued by Miami-Dade County brings light on a new site for Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility located at Doral. 

“We have been able to reach the conclusion that the best potential new site for the County’s Resource facility and a full campus to deal with all of our waste management issues is the site on Krome Avenue and US 27,” Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez said via social media. 

In a news release, Bermudez explained that according to the report issued, the administration believes the County now has “a unique opportunity to invest in and modernize a 40-year-old system and turn it into a financially sustainable, environmentally responsible program that will grow with the needs of the community.”

“While an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan is not created overnight, we recommend that the County should promptly procure the development of a Solid Waste campus, which would include the construction of a new modern mass burn waste-to-energy facility capable of processing at least 4,000 tons of waste daily.”

The Solid Waste campus, which would include the new WTE facility, is to be located at the intersection of Krome Avenue and US 27. This site has the capacity to not only host the facility in question but also provide space for other elements of the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan.

The potential new site, commonly referred to as Opa-Locka West Airport, is 416 acres of County-owned land that sits in the northwest portion of the county outside the Urban Development Boundary (UDB). “There is no agricultural activity on the site, the closest residential areas are reasonably distant, is large enough to accommodate a robust Solid Waste campus and is less environmentally sensitive than the other sites outside the UDB,” reads the press release. 

“The Board’s willingness to reopen the conversation on the Resources Recovery Facility enabled me to work hand in hand with Mayor Cava and her staff on a solution that would place residents’ quality of life first.  I am excited and encouraged by this latest report and know that we are now one step closer to moving this facility to a more appropriate location,” said Commissioner Bermudez.

About the possibility of a new location for the Waste-to-Energy Facility, Doral’s Mayor, Christi Fraga, said that the preliminary report issued today affirms a commitment to Doral’s residents and community that their concerns for a better quality of life are valid. “We appreciate that the next steps in the process may bring some challenges.”

“As Mayor, I am committed to working closely with the County Mayor and Commission as a partner towards the shared goal of providing vital waste services in Miami-Dade, while protecting Doral’s residents. I applaud the County Mayor Daniella Levin Cava for the continued collaboration with the City of Doral and look forward to bringing this important matter to a final resolution in the near future.”

On March 27, 2023, the Board approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez, rescinding the resolution approved on May 2022, and directing the County Mayor to analyze and recommend siting alternatives for a new Waste to Energy (WTE) facility, explore alternative technologies, and provide a report, including costs and potential funding sources.

In addition, the Board adopted two other resolutions to develop and implement a comprehensive plan on waste management in Miami-Dade County, including services provided by the County to municipalities, and the financial feasibility of continuing these services, as well as identifying new technologies and best practice approaches.

“As the Board wisely noted in July, we cannot continue to “kick the can” down the road and underinvest in our solid waste system. Significant investment will be required, but the timing is right to take advantage of federal and state grant programs on the capital side, and to restructure the funding mechanism in a way that keeps it affordable for our residents on the operational side,” concludes the press release.