Combustion and Thermal Treatment Facilities
Combustion and thermal treatment facilities alter the chemical, physical, or biological character or composition of waste through different processes. Combustion facilities use elevated temperatures in the presence of oxygen to process waste; some of the most common technologies under this category include mass burn and modular or fluidized bed combustors. Thermal treatment facilities alter the waste by exposing the waste to elevated temperatures or chemicals using technologies such as pyrolysis, gasification, or hydrolysis.
Some combustion and thermal treatment facilities recover energy from the process by converting waste materials into usable heat, electricity, or fuel.
Combustion and Thermal Treatment Facilities in New York State
To locate an authorized combustion or thermal treatment facility in your area, refer to the Map of Active Municipal Waste Combustion Facilities, the Interactive Map of Combustion Facilities and Thermal Treatment Facilities (leaving DEC's website) or look at the lists of registered and permitted combustion and thermal treatment facilities. The size of the facility and type of waste handled at the facility determine which regulatory requirements in 6 NYCRR 362-1 the facility must meet.
Exemptions
The following facilities may be exempt from the 6 NYCRR 362-1 regulations:
- A combustion facility at a location and operated by staff of a hospital, residential health care facility, diagnostic treatment center, or clinical laboratory regulated under 10 NYCRR Part 70 (leaving DEC's website) that treats regulated medical waste generated on-site.
- Animal crematories regulated pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 219 , except those that accept regulated medical waste.
- A facility authorized by the department pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 212 or 6 NYCRR Part 227 of this title to combust an alternative fuel, unless the fuel is stored at the facility prior to combustion.
Facilities that qualify for an exemption must meet the specific criteria in 6 NYCRR 362-1.2.
Registration
The following facilities are eligible for a registration, provided they meet the criteria in 6 NYCRR 362-1.3:
- A facility that combusts or thermally treats waste tires where the process federate does not exceed 10 tons per day.
- A facility that combusts or thermally treats uncontaminated, unadulterated wood where the process federate does not exceed 1,400 tons per day.
- A facility that combusts or thermally treats used cooking oil or yellow grease where the process federate does not exceed 1,000 gallons per day.
- A facility that stores, prior to combustion, an alternative fuel authorized by the department pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 212 or 6 NYCRR Part 227.
Facilities that qualify for a registration must meet the operating requirements in 6 NYCRR 360.19 and 6 NYCRR 362-1.3.
To become a new registered combustion or thermal treatment facility or to modify or renew an existing registration, please complete the Solid Waste Management Facility Registration Form and contact the Regional Materials Management Engineer in your region.
Permit
All combustion and thermal treatment facilities that do not meet the criteria for an exempt facility or a registered facility must obtain a permit.
Facilities requiring a permit must meet the design and operating requirements in 6 NYCRR 360.19 and 6 NYCRR 362-1.5.
To become a new permitted transfer facility or to modify or renew an existing permit, complete the Solid Waste Management Facility Permit Application and contact the Regional Permit Administrator in your region. See the Waste Management, Composting, and Recycling Permits webpage for additional details on applying for a permit and 6 NYCRR 360.16 and 6 NYCRR 362-1.4 for permit application requirements.
Annual Reporting
All combustion and thermal treatment facilities are required to submit an annual report to the Department. These annual reports include the amount of waste received at the facility, the service area and the destination of the waste after it leaves the facility. For detail about reporting requirements, see 6 NYCRR 360.19(k) and 6 NYCRR 362-1.6.
Blank annual report forms for the current year can be found on our Solid Waste Facilities Forms page.
Annual reports from previous years are available on the Department's ftp site.
A table summarizing the annual report data for the latest reporting year can be found on the 2020 Municipal Waste Combustion Capacity Chart and Summary Report.
More about Combustion and Thermal Treatment Facilities:
- Map of Active Municipal Waste Combustion Facilities - A large map showing the locations of municipal waste combustion facilities.
- 2020 Municipal Waste Combustion Facility Capacity Chart and Summary Report - Amount of waste handled and permitted of various municipal waste combustion facilities
