250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-140-05-4.1

Current through October 15, 2024

Section 250-RICR-140-05-4.1 - Incinerators and Resource Recovery Facilities

A. General Information: The following requirements are related to the incinerator or resource recovery facility site and building(s). All general requirements set forth in § 1.7 of this Subchapter must be submitted. All information relating to the residue disposal site required by § 2.1 of this Subchapter must also be submitted.

B. Radius Plan: A radius plan, including all the information listed below, shall be submitted. A radius plan must be drawn to a minimum scale of one inch to two hundred feet (1" = 200 feet), adjusted to fit on standard 24 x 36 inch sheet(s) and including all areas within one-quarter (1/4) mile radius out from all property lines of the site. The required information includes:

1. Zoning of the area as required in § 1.7(E)(5) of this Subchapter above,

2. Legal boundaries of site and licensed area if different, these boundaries shall be certified by a Registered Land Surveyor in the State of Rhode Island,

3. All roads,

4. All buildings and dwellings,

5. All water supplies (wells, etc.),

6. All surface water courses,

7. North arrow,

8. Locus plan.

C. Site Plan: A site plan, including all of the information listed below for all areas within the site, shall be submitted. The site plan must be drawn to a minimum scale of one inch to one hundred feet (1" = 100 feet), adjusted to fit on standard 24 x 36 inch sheet(s). The required information includes:

1. Legal boundaries of site and licensed area if different, these legal boundaries shall be certified by a Registered Land Surveyor in the State of Rhode Island,

2. Proposed fences and gates,

3. Roads (if any),

4. On site traffic patterns,

5. Parking areas,

6. Weighing facilities (if any),

7. Buildings (if any),

8. Hot load inspection area,

9. Random load content inspection area,

10. Vehicle impoundment area(s) for hot loads, prohibited loads, etc.,

11. Crane drop area for hazardous waste (if any),

12. Temporary storage area(s) for bulky waste, special waste, or prohibited waste,

13. Areas to be used for storing salvaged materials (if any),

14. On site ash storage area (if any),

15. On site residue disposal area (if any),

16. Power and pipe lines and other utilities (e.g. water, sewer, gas, electric, telephone, etc.) including:

a. Any aboveground and underground active or abandoned utility lines,

b. Any aboveground and underground active or abandoned storage tanks.

17. Rights-of-way,

18. Auxiliary fuel storage area,

19. Wells (if any), including groundwater supply and groundwater observation wells and soil boring locations (if any),

20. Surface water courses (if any),

21. Proposed leachate collection and treatment facilities (if any),

22. Site drainage facilities (if any),

23. Landscaping,

24. Location of buffer zones,

25. North arrow.

D. Construction and Engineering Plans and Specifications: A preliminary set of construction and engineering plans and specifications relating to all buildings, equipment and key features of the facility must be submitted to the Department. This set shall be in sufficient detail to allow for a comprehensive application review. A complete set of final plans will be submitted prior to construction or operation per Department requirements.

1. Overall schematics to include, at minimum, plant systems flow schematics and energy conversion schematics, if applicable (feedwater, steam, condensate).

2. Piping and instrumentation drawings to include, at minimum, the combustion train of equipment, air pollution control train of equipment, drainage and discharge systems, air handling systems, and auxiliary fuel systems.

3. Plan and cross sectional views of the facility at different elevations, with dimensions, to include:

a. Vehicle weigh station,

b. Any unloading, inspection, sorting, separating, and storage or holding areas for all types of solid waste, including municipal solid waste, bulky waste, prohibited and special wastes,

c. Refuse processing equipment locations and configurations,

d. Air supply ductwork locations,

e. Residue and recyclables (if any) collection equipment and transfer lines, storage areas and loading areas for these materials,

f. Steam generation equipment (if any), pollution control equipment, and other major equipment in the plant,

g. Office space and employees' facilities,

h. Auxiliary fuel handling and storage areas,

i. Fire protection station(s)/area(s).

4. Outline specifications for all refuse processing equipment (and steam generating equipment if applicable). Include information pertaining to the make, model, and manufacturer (if available) and information on capacity, reliability, efficiency, or other design and performance factors.

5. Outline design specifications for:

a. Vehicle weigh station.

b. Any loading, inspection, sorting, separating, and storage or holding areas for all types of solid waste, including municipal solid waste, bulky waste, prohibited and special wastes. Include storage capacities, where appropriate.

c. Residue and recyclables (if any) collection equipment and transfer lines storage areas and loading areas for these materials. Include storage capacities.

d. Auxiliary fuel handling and storage areas.

e. Water distribution system (for potable and sanitary water, irrigation needs, process, and firefighting needs).

f. Plant energy supply system (including provisions for temporary power supply, in event of primary supply outage).

g. Fire-fighting and hazardous waste protection systems, equipment and materials.

h. Environmental control equipment (sweepers, snowplows, etc.).

i. Control room displays, instrumentation and controls.

j. Security/traffic control measures (fencing, gates, material screening devices, roads, traffic signs, traffic lights, general lighting, etc.).

k. Communication equipment.

l. Landscaping and buffer zones (if applicable).

6. Process flow diagram(s) that illustrate the complete material and process sequence. They must depict all major equipment associated with the processing, heating, cooling, transportation and storage for all material flow streams including air, water, solids, and energy balances. The material flow streams must show all inputs and outputs and be characterized by the following process variables:

a. Average flow rates (liquid and solid being measured by weight or volume per unit time and gas being measured by standard cubic feet per minute).

b. Average compositions, designation of flow phase (solid, liquid, gas), temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, and pressure in pounds per square inch absolute. Energy balances must include the average heat content (measure in BTU/lb) for all input and output material or any equipment which changes the heat content of these streams. Energy converted or transferred as heat must be indicated in BTU/hr. All major sources of heat input and loss must be noted. Electrical energy either generated or utilized must be shown in kilowatt hours with average use and peak demand shown.

7. Process flow diagram and water balance for plant water distribution system (for potable and sanitary water, irrigation needs, process and firefighting needs).

E. Description of Proposed Facility: This overview should include, at minimum:

1. A sequential description of the major components used for the acceptance, storing, screening and separating (if applicable), incinerating, treating, reclaiming or recycling (if applicable), and loading/disposing of solid waste, starting from delivery at the weigh station and continuing through the ash residue loading and shipping to disposal.

2. A general description of the overall process and functional description of all equipment to be used with supporting information such as design criteria, anticipated performance, and overall process flow diagrams.

3. A discussion of process trains capable of being operated independently from each other and other provisions to minimize downtime and minimize by-passing of wastes to other facilities.

F. Operating Plan

1. An operating plan shall be submitted including information on all of the numbered sections below. The minimum requirement for information to be provided is outlined in each section. The duration of the operating plan shall equal that of the license. The operating plan shall be reviewed by the applicant prior to license renewal and any changes to such plan shall be submitted to the Department for approval at that time.

2. The applicant must comply with incinerator or resource recovery facility design and operating standards listed in §§ 4.3 and 4.4 of this Part respectively.

a. Operating rates and design capacities

(1) Expected short-term and projected long-term daily refuse loading (tons per day) inputted to facility.

(2) Projected year by year refuse loading (tons/year) from year one to end of plant life.

(3) Rated refuse capacity of the facility, in tons per day and tons per hour.

b. Operating hours

(1) Naming of the days of the week, and the time intervals (exact hours) on each of these days, that the facility will be open to the public.

(2) Description of operating shifts, including number and time intervals for each shift.

(3) Discussion of any seasonal variations in the operating hours, including planned facility shutdown periods (if any), holidays when the facility will be closed, etc.

c. Provisions for limited access

(1) Normal access road(s) into the facility and egress road(s) from the facility.

(2) Emergency access road(s), if any, into the facility.

(3) Security equipment and location including physical description of any fencing around the facility, physical description of barriers or gates at inlet/egress points, and any security personnel stations.

(4) Any natural land features which prevent access to the facility.

(5) Security surveillance, including security personnel work schedules.

(6) Any special access capabilities by emergency personnel, such as police, firemen, rescue, medical, etc.

d. Types of refuse to be accepted

(1) Categories of waste accepted by the facility.

(2) Categories of waste that will be incinerated.

(3) Categories of waste, if any, that will be separated from the waste stream prior to incineration, for alternate disposal or recycling.

(4) Specification of prohibited wastes that will not be accepted by the facility for incineration or recycling.

(5) Outline of pre-operations informational programs and ongoing programs during operation, if any, that educate waste haulers, communities, commercial businesses, and individual residents on acceptable versus prohibited wastes.

(6) Exact details of sign(s) at facility entrance which mention prohibited materials.

e. Traffic patterns

(1) Description of on-site road network serving employee vehicles, incoming waste hauling vehicles, outgoing empty vehicles and vehicles removing residue or reclaimed/recycled materials or other materials from the facility.

(2) Specification of expected types, capacity, number and frequency of vehicles entering and leaving facility.

(3) Traffic flow patterns on-site.

(4) Traffic control methods on-site including directional signs, traffic lights, speed control measures, etc.

(5) Parking areas and capacities.

f. Weighing facilities (if any)

(1) Physical description of weighing facilities.

(2) Details of information to be recorded on incoming vehicles carrying solid waste, outgoing empty vehicles and outgoing vehicles carrying residue or other materials (if applicable).

(3) Details of information recording and storage equipment, and procedures.

g. Substitute disposal and/or transfer arrangements

(1) Description of proposed measures to handle incoming solid waste flow during periods of emergency, equipment breakdown, or short term facility shutdown (not including extended outages requiring total waste by-passing to alternate site).

(2) Identification of an alternate solid waste management facility and description of agreement to accept solid waste (either part or all of the waste) in the event of an emergency, equipment breakdown or short or long term facility shutdown.

(3) Discussion of the types of outages and outage time intervals that would trigger total by-passing of the incoming waste to alternate solid waste management facility.

(4) Procedures for waste removal from the facility, if substitute disposal is required, including, at minimum:

(AA) Removal of waste from refuse pit or storage area,

(BB) Removal of refuse from feed hopper in case of mechanical system breakdown.

h. Residue and fly ash handling, storage, and disposal

(1) Estimated quantity of fly ash and bottom ash generated daily.

(2) Estimated quantity of material to be segregated from ash residue for reuse/recycling (if applicable).

(3) Methods and equipment to reclaim materials from the ash (if applicable).

(4) Method of wetting and/or containment to ensure dust emissions are controlled during on-site and off-site storage, loading, transport, and unloading.

(5) Description of method of storage and facilities for storage of on-site ash and ash storage capacity.

(6) Method of draining free liquid during ash storage and description of run-off management system.

(7) Copy of agreement with appropriate licensed solid waste management facility(s) to accept and dispose ash residue and copy of the facility's license or permit indicating the facility's ability to accept ash residue.

(8) Discussion of transportation of fly ash to disposal site, including environmental control factors.

(9) Ash sampling, analysis and testing procedures (during on-site ash storage) including:

(AA) Sample collection procedures, techniques, and schedules.

(BB) Sample preservation and shipment procedures.

(CC) Description of parameters, analytical procedures, test methods, and schedules.

(DD) Identification of laboratories performing tests and analyses (to be provided to Department prior to plan operations).

(EE) Chain of custody control.

(FF) Discussion of QA/QC procedures.

(GG) Details of documentation of sampling analyses and tests.

(10) Procedures for segregation and isolation of ash during ash testing and procedures for ash disposal, following test results.

(11) Ash residue removal procedures in case of a mechanical breakdown in the facility ash transporting system.

i. Fire and explosion prevention and control (Ref: §§ 4.2(D), (S), (U), (V), (W), and 4.3(AA) of this Part).

(1) Description and location of fire and explosion protection and alarm equipment and systems used to detect, control, and extinguish fires and explosions in appropriate locations at the facility, including, but not limited to, areas where solid waste, chemicals, flammable or explosive materials are stored or handled, and in the monitoring and control room(s).

(2) Description of any fire protection and safety elements provided in construction materials and facility design.

j. Utility Requirements

(1) Identification of types and quantities of fuels stored on-site (e.g. auxiliary fuel for burners) and description of on-site storage and handling equipment.

(2) Estimates of water quantity consumed for potable or sanitary, irrigation, process, and fire-fighting needs.

(3) Estimate of total electric power (kw) generated on site and consumed on site and quantity of outside power supplied, if any.

(4) Estimate of total steam generated on site (lb/hr, pressure, and temperature) and amount consumed on-site.

(5) Identification of provision for auxiliary power, sized to enable emergency shutdown of facility and to provide emergency lighting and fire-fighting needs.

(6) A utilities plan identifying and describing all outside utility systems which will serve the facility. A description of the carrying capacities of these utility systems and availability within the system to meet present and future facility utility needs.

k. Communication Equipment

(1) Description of the types and location of communication equipment throughout the facility.

(2) Identification of personnel that will use each type of communication equipment.

(3) Identification of communication networks and personnel to be linked by the networks.

l. Aesthetic Considerations: Description of landscaping and buffering actions to reduce potential negative visual impacts off-site.

m. Water and Wastewater Treatment and Disposal

(1) Description, characteristics, types and quantities of sanitary and process water usage and wastewater effluent.

(2) Discussion of (or plan for) processing, treatment and disposal or recycling of waste water, including disposal of firefighting water usage.

n. Outline Operation and Maintenance Manual: This document will be submitted as a part of the operating plan. It will include, at minimum, the following sections further described in each section: personnel staffing, personnel protection, personnel training, waste screening, bulky waste handling, special wastes handling, process operations, emergency contingency plans, facility housekeeping procedures, and facility maintenance.

(1) Personnel Staffing: This section will include, at minimum:

(AA) An organizational/manning chart for the entire facility.

(BB) Job descriptions, i.e., duties and responsibilities for key (critical) facility positions. Each description should include the requisite experience and skills, education, certifications, and other qualifications for that position.

(CC) The staffing provided for each shift, including the job titles and number of employees for each title to satisfy operating and maintenance needs.

(DD) Provisions for assuming responsibilities of each key job slot in case of temporary absence of the primary person.

(2) Personnel Protection: This section should include, at minimum, a discussion of personnel safety equipment, protection gear, and related items. This would include, but is not limited to, the following:

(AA) Hard hats, hearing protection, safety goggles, and other protective clothing.

(BB) Protective clothing for emergency situations including fires, explosions, and hazardous waste incidents or releases of harmful constituents into the air, soil, surface water or groundwater or onto surfaces of the facility.

(CC) Personnel hygiene facilities, first aid stations, showers, eye wash stations, and related items.

(3) Personnel Training (Ref: §§ 4.3(FF) and (GG) of this Part). This section will include a training plan which provides the following:

(AA) Description of how all facility personnel will successfully complete a program of classroom instruction and/or on-the job training that teaches them to perform their duties competently, and in a manner protective of human health and the environment. The type and amount of initial and follow-up training should be described.

(BB) Identification of the job positions which will receive training in order to become knowledgeable of the procedures, equipment, and processes at the facility, relative to the positions in which they are employed.

(CC) A training plan outline to enable facility personnel to respond effectively to emergencies by familiarizing them with emergency and safety equipment, abnormal or emergency procedures, and emergency systems. The outline should include, where applicable:

(i) Procedures for using, inspecting, repairing and replacing facility emergency and monitoring equipment.

(ii) Operational start-up and shutdown procedures; both normal and emergency procedures.

(iii) Emergency communication or alarm systems.

(iv) Response to fires or explosions.

(v) Identification and handling procedures, relative to prohibited wastes, including hazardous waste.

(vi) Response to hazardous waste emergencies.

(vii) Response to groundwater contamination incidents.

(DD) Identification of the trainer(s) and any requirements for instructor status (to be provided to the Department prior to plant operations).

(EE) Description of plan for documentation of training using a training records system, where training records will be kept, and duration for retaining records.

(4) Waste Screening Procedures: To ensure that the facility receives only authorized waste as provided by the permit of the facility, that the recyclable materials content of each load of incoming waste is in compliance with Subchapter 20 Part 2 of this Chapter "Rules and Regulations for Reduction and Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste" and Subchapter 20 Part 1 of this Chapter "Rules and Regulations for Reduction and Recycling of Commercial and Non-Municipal Residential Solid Waste", and that the waste received is in an acceptable condition, this section should include details of the initial screening of incoming waste on vehicles, inspection of suspicious loads, handling and isolation of hot loads, random inspection of incoming loads, and procedures for isolating prohibited wastes that have not been accepted. This section will include, at minimum:

(AA) A description of any device(s) to be used to screen incoming wastes on vehicles.

(BB) A listing, by job title, of the personnel trained to perform waste screening.

(CC) A description of the waste screening duties for each person trained to perform waste screening, and an overview of the procedures to be used by each of these persons.

(DD) An overview of the plan used to train the waste screening personnel.

(EE) A discussion of the records which will be maintained, relative to information on each load dumped into the refuse pit and records of waste inspection.

(5) Bulky Waste Handling Procedures:

(AA) Description of separation procedure and temporary storage facility/area (if any) for bulky waste.

(BB) Description of arrangement for removal and disposal of bulky waste from the facility, including transporter pick-up frequency.

(6) Special Waste Handling Procedures: Depending on license conditions and other possible factors, certain special wastes may be accepted and incinerated, or may be accepted but separated from the waste stream prior to incineration of the waste stream. These special wastes may include demolition and construction waste, certain non-hazardous liquid wastes, and other categories of non-hazardous waste.

(AA) Other special wastes which are prohibited could accidentally not be initially screened out, and in turn get dumped into the pit or elsewhere. These include RIDEM regulated hazardous wastes (see also 40 C.F.R. § 261, incorporated in § 1.3(A) of this Subchapter, "Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste"), suspected hazardous wastes, or certain other wastes not regulated by RIDEM as hazardous, but which would require special handling, such as radioactive, pathological, and biological waste.

(BB) Therefore, provide the following information, where applicable, for each of the above types of special waste that are not to be incinerated but instead are to be separated from the waste stream.

(i) Description of procedures for separation and isolation of the waste.

(ii) Description of temporary storage facility/area (if any) for the waste.

(iii) Description of arrangement for removal and disposal of the waste from the facility including transporter pickup frequency.

(7) Process Operations: This section will include, at a minimum:

(AA) Description of procedures for operation of each major facility component.

(BB) Operating procedures for facility normal start-up, normal shut-down, and emergency shut-down.

(CC) A description of how the operator will utilize process and instrumentation controls during start-up and shut-down procedures.

(DD) Identification of the operating variables for the process and any control devices used to detect a malfunction or failure, the normal range of these variables and a description of the method of monitoring; and the sequence of responsible actions in the event that the equipment and instruments exceed normal operating ranges.

(EE) Methods and schedules to check operation of control equipment and instrumentation, exclusive of emission monitoring equipment, including a list of all equipment and instruments requiring calibration and a schedule of proposed calibration intervals (to be provided to the Department prior to plant operation).

(8) Emergency Contingency Plans: This section should provide detailed procedures for responding to fires, explosions, and hazardous waste incidents, including any unplanned and non-permitted sudden or non-sudden releases of harmful constituents into the air, soil, surface water or groundwater or onto surfaces of the facility. The contingency plans should contain, but not be limited to:

(AA) A description of the actions facility personnel will take in the event of each type of emergency listed above.

(BB) A discussion of arrangements made with outside emergency support groups (fire, police, rescue, hospital, hazardous waste emergency response company, hazardous waste transporter, etc.) to provide any needed assistance during the emergencies and discussion of any training in conjunction with those support groups.

(CC) A list of names, addresses, and phone numbers (office and home) of all persons qualified to act as an emergency coordinator for the facility, including the primary designated coordinator and any alternates.

(DD) A list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of outside emergency support groups (fire, police, rescue, hospital, hazardous waste emergency response company, hazardous waste transporter, etc.) that are under contract to respond to such emergencies.

(9) Facility Housekeeping Procedures: This section should include, at minimum:

(AA) Identification of the areas at or near the facility that would be susceptible to:

(i) Dust problems

(ii) Litter problems

(iii) Odor problems

(iv) Vector problems

(BB) A detailed description of the proposed measures (including methods, procedures and schedules) to control and prevent dust, litter, odor, and vector problems.

(CC) A description of the procedures to clean the refuse pit and other areas in the facility where any solid waste or residue is located. (Ref: §§ 4.3(L) through (O) of this Part).

(DD) A list of chemicals, including quantities to be used at the facility, amounts to be stored, location of storage, and safety procedures for handling and storage, as appropriate.

(10) Facility Maintenance: This section will include at a minimum:

(AA) A facility inspection plan to include:

(i) A list of items to be inspected.

(ii) The schedule and frequency of inspection for each item.

(iii) The basic elements to be included in the inspection of each item, including types of problems to look for and minimum criteria for acceptability.

(iv) Documentation and storage of inspection summaries.

(v) A general facility inspection and its schedule (at least annually).

(vi) The scope of inspection (§ 4.1(F)(2)(n) ((10))((AA))((i)) of this Part) should include operational process equipment (to discover and correct malfunctions or deterioration, safety and emergency equipment, and to determine if operational errors are occurring), discharges (health or environmental hazards), and structural aspects of the facility. The schedule for inspection (§ 4.1(F)(2)(n) ((10))((AA))((ii)) of this Part) should be based on the projected rate of equipment deterioration or malfunction and the probability of failure between inspections and whether or not adverse health or environmental effects may result if a failure occurs. The records (§ 4.1(F)(2)(n) ((10))((AA))((iv)) of this Part) should include, at minimum, the date and time of inspection, inspector's name, observations and recommendations, and date and nature of any repairs or remedial actions. The general facility inspection should be performed under the direction of and certified by a Rhode Island Professional Engineer. This licensed engineer will prepare a summary report of findings and submit it to RIDEM.

(BB) A maintenance and overhaul plan to include:

(i) A list of items to be repaired on an ongoing basis, including a failure analysis.

(ii) The anticipated repair schedules for each item.

(iii) Schedules and procedures for major equipment replacement.

(iv) Maintenance contracts.

(v) A list of equipment dealers under contract to supply standby or emergency equipment, when required.

(CC) Spare parts plan to include:

(i) An analysis and list of parts that are expected to fail frequently.

(ii) Suggested list of spare parts, and quantity of each that will be maintained in the inventory, to allow the facility to remain operational.

(iii) Relative to each spare part, name of supplier(s) that readily supply the part.

(iv) Identification of method of recording spare parts usage and inventory control.

(DD) Miscellaneous support equipment to maintain operation of equipment functions, including, at minimum:

(i) Standby processing equipment (if any).

(ii) Equipment used to maintain any phase of facility operations.

G. Closure Plan: Pursuant to the requirements set forth in § 1.7(J) of this Subchapter, this plan will include the following, at minimum:

1. Planned or estimated year of proposed closure.

2. Measures taken to remove all remaining refuse and residue from the facility.

3. Methods to restrict access and prevent additional waste disposal at the facility, including physical description and location of any fences or gates placed at the facility.

4. Discussion of impact of closure on legal boundaries of site, changes in ownership, and description of anything that affects the legal boundaries of the site.

5. Intended future use of the facility, following closure (immediate and long-term use).

6. A financial estimate of the costs to properly close the facility. With respect to financial assurance (§ 1.7(J)(2) of this Subchapter), the applicant must post financial assurance for the full amount of the closure cost estimate as a pre-condition for the issuance of a solid waste management facility license.

H. Permits Section: List and describe all environmentally related authorizations and approvals that are required for this facility including, but not limited to, those from other Offices of RIDEM, other state agencies, federal agencies, local governments, agricultural districts, fire equipment insurance underwriters, and the appropriate electric utility.

250 R.I. Code R. 250-RICR-140-05-4.1