In 2016, Stericycle submitted an application for an air-quality permit for a new hospital, medical, and infectious waste incinerator (HMIWI) facility in Tooele, Utah. The new facility would replace the current waste incinerator facility in North Salt Lake, Utah, with a maximum permitted capacity of 18,000 tons per year (tpy) of HMI waste for an average of 49.3 tons per day or 4,100 pounds per hour.
2017
The Division of Air Quality (DAQ) issued a new Approval Order (AO) (636 KB) on September 1, 2017, for the Tooele facility. DAQ evaluated the application and concluded that the facility meets all state and federal requirements. The new HMIWI facility will operate under a Title V Permit.
The division received oral and written comments on the March 2016 Intent to Approve. DAQ considered each comment before final issuance of the AO and recorded, documented, and addressed each comment in detail in the Response to Comments document below.
- Approval Order (AO) (636 KB)
- Response to Comments (10.9 MB)
2016
Stericycle submitted an application or Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) for an Approval Order (AO) for a proposed hospital, medical, and infectious waste incinerator (HMIWI) source at 9250 Rowley Road, Tooele, Utah. The source is intended to replace the HMIWI source that is owned by Stericycle and is currently operating in North Salt Lake. The public comment period ran from March 24 until May 20, 2016. A public hearing was also held on April 18, 2016.
- ITA (1.7 MB)
- Project File (42.3 MB)
- Frequently Asked Questions (47 KB)
2014
In December 2014, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Stericycle reached a Settlement Agreement (275 KB) for violations asserted in an August 2014 Notice of Violation issued to the company. Terms of the agreement included relocation of the facility to Tooele County. In February 2015, Stericycle submitted permit applications to the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) and the Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC) for the construction and operation of the new facility.
Process Description and Pollution Control
Each HMIWI will be designed to process up to 2,050 pounds of waste per hour, for a total of 4,100 pounds of waste per hour for the two incinerators. Each unit will be equipped with a dedicated Air Pollution Control (APC) system that includes the following equipment:
- Selective Non-catalytic Reduction (SNCR) System
- Waste Heat Boiler
- Evaporative Cooler
- Baghouse
- Carbon Injection System
- Dry Sorbent Injection
- Wet Gas Absorber
- Carbon Bed
Each unit will be equipped with an emergency bypass stack that will allow gas from the secondary chamber to vent directly to the atmosphere without passing through the APC system. Stericycle will conduct continuous parametric and pollutant monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance with HMIWI emission limitations. A diesel-powered emergency generator will be onsite to supply emergency power in the event of a power interruption.
Stericycle must demonstrate in its NOI that the degree of pollution control for emissions, including fugitive emissions and fugitive dust, is at least best available control technology (BACT).
Source Classification
The proposed Stericycle facility is classified as a minor source pursuant to R307-401.
- The facility is located in an attainment area and will not emit any air pollutants subject to regulation in excess of 100 tpy. However, the facility will continue to be subject to the Title V permit program and Utah’s Title V permit regulations.
- The facility is located in an attainment area and is not subject to Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) requirements. The Tooele facility will not have the potential-to-emit (PTE) more than 250 tpy of any regulated New Source Review (NSR) pollutant and will not be a major source with respect to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD).
- The facility will not have the potential to emit any single hazardous air pollutant (HAP) greater than 10 tpy or a facility-wide combined HAPs PTE total of 25 tpy. The Tooele facility will not be classified as a major source of HAPs but as an area source of HAPs.
Emissions Calculations
The facility’s PTE takes into account air pollution controls, maximum expected operating time, and maximum expected material throughputs. The PTE was calculated for normal operating conditions, startup conditions and took into account uncontrolled emissions, the emergency generator, and dry sorbent storage silo.
| Potential to Emit (PTE) Emissions in tons per year (tpy) | |
|---|---|
| ParticulateMatter (PM10) | 1.94 |
| Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 1.94 |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) | 1.93 |
| Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) | 2.36 |
| Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) | 28.31 |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 1.06 |
| Total Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) including dioxins/furans, metals, formaldehyde, and acrolein | 2.08 |