R3 Environmental Signs Contract with N.C. County to Manage its Waste System

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB) has announced that County Commissioners in New Hanover County, N.C., recently signed a contract with R3 Environmental (R3) for the management of the county's waste system.

GBB was hired by the county to help prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the management of the county's solid waste disposal facilities. The management includes a secure landfill, a 20+ year old waste-to-energy plant and seven recycling drop-off sites receiving more than 200,000 tons of recyclables per year.

The RFP requested a single-service provider to handle all the services currently being undertaken by the county under a single contract going forward.

GBB also assisted the county’s legal team with the final technical contract negotiation process.

Under the agreement, R3 will implement a municipal solid waste processing facility where it will collect the recyclables, making a low ash-high BTU Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) biomass product, refurbishing the current mass-burn waste-to-energy (WTE) facility into an RDF biomass fired system and implementing a new construction waste and demolition debris recycling processing system.

The new solid waste sorting facility is expected to be in operation in two years, extracting recyclables and converting the organic waste stream into fuel, and guaranteeing to divert over 80 percent of the incoming solid waste from the landfill.

"GBB's guidance and expertise during the whole procurement process, was invaluable," says Bruce Shell, New Hanover County’s manager. "This agreement with R3 establishes New Hanover County as an innovator in solid waste, not just in the state, but in the nation."

"There are some very interesting aspects of the R3 innovative technology proposal as it pertains to recycling potential, carbon credits and renewable energy credits, and significant long-term cost benefits to the County," says Bob Brickner, GBB’s executive vice president and GBB's lead consultant on the project.

For more information on the firm and its products and services, visit www.gbbinc.com or call 1-800-573-5801.