DEP Awards Triumvirate Environmental contract to beneficially use 27,000 tons of fiber in Warren
October 29, 2013
Contact: Jessamine Logan, Maine DEP Director of Communications, 287-5842
-Triumvirate Environmental will turn fiber into composite lumber, creating 8-16 new jobs
AUGUSTA- What can be done with 27,000 tons of carpet-like fiber? According to Triumvirate Environmental of Somerville, Massachusetts with a location in Eliot, Maine, it can be recycled by turning it into composite lumber.
Earlier this year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a Request for Proposals to have the fiber posing a serious fire hazard removed from a site in Warren and turned into an alternative fuel or other beneficial use. Triumvirate submitted a proposal to set up a processing facility on site in a high-tech, enclosed structure. Triumvirate indicates that they will create a minimum of eight new jobs, with as many as 16 employees when in full production mode. These numbers do not include additional indirect jobs.
"Talk about a win-win for the environment and the economy. I applaud the Department for first seeking proposals that promote a sustainable economy and clean up the environment," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "This award proves that environmental stewardship and job creation can be done together. By viewing the fiber as a resource, Triumvirate Environmental is creating a value-added product to what was once considered waste."
Roughly 80 percent of the carpet-like fiber material brought to the 70-acre site for the construction of shot and sound containment berms remains uncovered because the project was never completed. Through court action, DEP secured access to the property to remediate the site because of public safety concerns. The polyester and polypropylene carpet-like fiber is stable, does not decompose and does not generate leachate or odors. However, it does pose a fire risk. DEP is committed to preventing environmental and public health risks and finding alternative ways to reduce the amount that goes into our landfills.
"After visiting the Town of Warren and listening to their concerns, I tasked the department with coming up with a sustainable solution because putting the fiber in a landfill was not an option," said Patricia Aho, Maine DEP Commissioner. "The department sought innovative solutions and Triumvirate Environmental delivered. Their proposal to turn the fiber into a composite lumber is truly a prime example of how to beneficially use materials. I'm also pleased that because of DEP actions, the Town of Warren will finally have this property cleaned up so it can be put back into productive use."
Triumvirate Environmental plans to process the entire 27,000 tons of fiber into finished product by the end of December 2016. Mike Farrell, Triumvirate's Disposal Coordinator, will be managing the project. He has over 13 years of environmental industry experience and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Unity College.
This low-impact recycling project will benefit the Town of Warren, which has been waiting years for the fiber to be removed.
The department received four proposals addressing three options: to convert the 27,000 tons of fiber material into a suitable alternative fuel for use by Dragon Products in Thomaston or other industrial facilities; to transport the processed material to Dragon Products; or to submit a proposal that would result in the removal and beneficial reuse of fiber material from the site. Triumvirate Environmental and the three bidders whose proposals were not accepted were notified of the department's decision on Monday.
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