During the January 14th meeting of Plymouth Township’s Council representatives of Covanta gave a presentation on its Trash to Steam plant in Plymouth Township and provided details on the incident on December 30th. The plant burns household trash which creates steam and generates electricity for approximately 20,000 homes.

The incident involved a malfunction that caused a loud banging noise and concerned nearby residents. In dispute is the origin of an odor that nearby residents claimed to have smelled during and after the incident. Covanta claims that the odor was not a result of the malfunction at the plant.

During the public comment. Dr. Sarah Derr Sterious passed out paperwork from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection that showed a series of violations at the plant. Sterious is one of the neighbors behind the Trash to Steam Plant Community Information & Action.

The discussion came to a close with a couple members of Plymouth Township’s Council planning to take a tour of the facility (there is also a tour for the public being planned). Council was also going to review the documents provided by Sterious and seek Covanta’s response to those documents.

We have video of the entire discussion. Turn your sound all the way up.