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CPA’s airport incinerator facility to be completed in July
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Posted on Jan 22 2006
The Commonwealth Ports Authority has acquired a new incinerator to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements and will complete refurbishing of the facility at the Saipan International Airport in July 2006.
CPA executive director Lee Cabrera said the ports authority would soon have an EPA-compliant incinerator at the airport, with a better incineration rate than the old one. The new equipment is capable of incinerating 750 pounds of waste per hour, while the old one’s incineration rate was just 500 lbs per hour.
Waste disposal operations at the airport include the burning of solid and hazardous waste from airlines, law enforcement agencies, local businesses, and military vessels.
The CPA acquired the new incinerator for $500,000, half of which was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Interior.
Sometime in May 2005, the EPA issued a citation against CPA and ordered the ports authority to repair or replace its incinerator at the airport.
EPA’s order came following an inspection of the facility, where inspectors found containers of hazardous waste that were left open, allowing the waste to evaporate. EPA inspectors also found hazardous waste and used oil stored in severely corroded and leaking containers.
