The Future of Private Waste Processing

As Orlando’s Select Processing prepares to host the 2009 NAWT Waste Treatment Symposium, company president Steve Macchio talks about treating waste for pumpers

Many pumping contractors build wastewater treatment plants to process the waste they haul, but Steve Macchio of Lindenhurst, N.Y., is in the wastewater treatment business. His facilities, one each in Lindenhurst, Orlando, Fla., and Elkhart, Ind., treat restaurant grease trap waste, septage, sewage sludges and portable restroom waste. Some also process nonhazardous industrial wastewater.

Macchio says he’s been able to modify each property, making the treatment plants as operator-friendly as possible. Lindenhurst was a precious metal recovery facility, Elkhart treated pharmaceutical wastes, and Orlando was a privately owned plant that land-applied lime-stabilized septage.

The National Association of Wastewater Transporters chose Macchio’s Select Processing facility in Orlando as part of its Waste Treatment Symposium on Oct. 9-10. Macchio talked to Pumper about the benefits and challenges of operating a privately owned wastewater treatment business and how it differs from what most pumpers do.

Pumper:

What was your first treatment plant?

Macchio:

Lindenhurst. I saw a need for treating wastewater from pumpers and cleaning companies since working at my family’s business, RGM Liquid Waste Removal Corp. For 15 years, I envisioned a facility that provided better service than municipalities, remained open around the clock every day and catered to the needs of the industry. We sold RGM in 1998, and four years later I opened Lindenhurst. Orlando followed in 2004 and Elkhart in 2005.

The facilities are designed to get trucks in and out quickly. The volume at Lindenhurst is 400,000 gpd, where we have two double bays. Elkhart and Orlando have two single bays and are permitted for 500,000 gpd and 188,000 gpd respectively. The trucks discharge directly into automatic screening units, and personnel are present to sample the waste. They are trained that time is money for haulers, and getting them back on the road to their next job is the most important thing after acceptance and treatment quality control.

Pumper:

What do you believe is the future of privately owned treatment plants?

Macchio:

They supply a better service than government-run operations. Although the permitting and approval processes are daunting and the construction of plants expensive, I believe we’ll see more. The permitting process is difficult because it involves the approval of local, state, and federal agencies. The public approval process involves hearings and overcoming the not-in-my-back-yard syndrome because of the odorous waste. Therefore, one of our main priorities and biggest challenges is controlling odors to keep the neighbors happy.

Pumper:

What type of filtration do you use?

Macchio:

All of our tanks are above ground, but most are enclosed. The complete Lindenhurst operation is indoors. The plants have odor control devices such as chemical scrubbers that cleanse the air before it’s released into the atmosphere.

Pumper:

Who runs your treatment plants?

Macchio:

Each facility has a manager who reports to me. Depending on the state, some need a treatment plant operator license; others, a licensed operator has to work a certain number of hours to cover the facility’s license requirement. My managers have experience in septage hauling and understand trucks. I taught them how to run the plants, but it takes a year or two before they are effective.

Pumper:

What is your opinion of pumping companies joining forces to operate treatment plants?

Macchio:

Pumpers joining with other pumpers or associations have potential, but it’s based on who wants to be involved and can they work together harmoniously? The disadvantages are that the operation most likely would not generate enough profit to benefit all the shareholders, and multiple partners could sometimes prolong the decision-making process. The benefits are that partners reduce the capital burden and bring diverse expertise to the table.

Pumper:

What challenges do you see on the horizon for the private treatment processing industry?

Macchio:

Siting a plant is one of the most difficult, followed by the approval process and having the capital. That won’t change. I learned that owning a waste hauling company could hurt your treatment plant business because other haulers fear you will steal their customers by offering lower prices. That’s why I don’t own one.

On the other hand, municipal facilities closing their doors to haulers would enhance and support private industry. It could be an opportunity to build or expand existing plants.

Pumper:

Because municipal treatment plants don’t work for a profit, how do privately owned facilities combat the lower prices?

Macchio:

I make it more profitable for the hauler to come to me. Even though my rates are fairly competitive with those of municipalities, pumpers get in and out faster and can do more jobs. They make up the difference that way, or by driving shorter distances, or by discharging at any time of the day or night.

Thirty different pumper companies use the Lindenhurst plant, 25 use the Elkhart plant, and 20 use Orlando. Like any business, you can’t be sloppy. The plants aren’t cash cows. They’re businesses that require efficiency. You can make money if you’re on top of the game.

Pumper:

How involved is processing a combination of waste streams?

Macchio:

Federal regulations don’t allow the mixing of regulated wastes with unregulated wastes in certain processes, so we have different treatment trains. We can process septage, portable restroom waste, and grease together because they are unregulated. Depending on the state, sewage sludge might need separate handling, but industrial waste must be processed separately based on type and classification. Combine the two and the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) looks at it as dilution, so it’s very important for plant operators to keep meticulous records.

Lindenhurst has three separate discharge lines and monitoring manholes before the effluent is mixed and released into the city sewer. One manhole is for unregulated wastes, the second for certain types of industrial wastewater such as pharmaceuticals, and the third is for landfill leachates and rinse waters. The other plants have one or two discharge lines and manholes.

Pumper:

How do distance and the type of waste affect the competitive factor?

Macchio:

Certain industrial waste streams can withstand a long haul. Septage and grease trap wastes usually require a disposal facility within 15 to 20 radial miles. Pumpers building treatment plants to service what they haul should stick with septage and unregulated waste. Those looking to enter the treatment business should consider processing the more complicated waste streams, but they require additional focus and energy because of the different treatments and regulations.



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