A new hazardous waste incineration plant operated by Epler & Lorenz was officially opened in Tartu on Thursday. The facility will be capable of processing up to 15% of the hazardous waste generated in Estonia.

Speaking at the opening, Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis noted that exporting hazardous waste abroad for treatment is technically complex and expensive, making domestic disposal a more cost-effective solution.

As recently as six years ago, hazardous waste was also accepted at Kunda Nordic Cement. However, when clinker production was discontinued in Kunda, one source of hazardous waste treatment capacity was lost. At the time, the hazardous waste incineration plant run by Epler & Lorenz in Tartu on Ravila Street was able to process about 2,000 tons of waste per year, which did not meet Estonia's needs.

This is what led to plans to expand the incineration facility in Tartu. The completed expansion has now increased the plant's capacity — located on the outskirts of the university town — from 2,000 tons to between 15,000 and 20,000 tons per year. The facility receives used oils and paints, contaminated packaging, medical waste, and other materials that cannot be recycled, says the company's manager, Jaanis Lorenz.

"The general trend is that the share of hazardous waste will certainly decrease. But some groups will remain — for example, medical waste — there's simply nothing else that can be done with it," he noted.

Construction of the new facility was delayed by nearly a year and a half because the Environmental Board required an additional environmental impact assessment for the project. By now, the authority has issued the plant an comprehensive environmental permit, under which the environmental impacts have been thoroughly evaluated, said Reet Siilaberg, head of the circular economy department at the Environmental Board.

"The main impact comes from pollutants released into the ambient air. To mitigate this, the permit requires the use of best available technology — in this case, multi-stage flue gas cleaning. Naturally, we have also set limit values that the company must comply with, along with monitoring requirements that are tracked and overseen by the Environmental Board," she noted.

If the company meets all these requirements, there will be no direct impact on Tartu's residents. According to Lorenz, the flue gas cleaning systems installed at the plant represent the latest European technology.

"In fact, we are operating at less than 50 percent of the permitted limits," he added.

The incineration plant is also capable of generating its own electricity, and residual heat is fed into Tartu's district heating network.

Tartu Deputy Mayor Kertu Vuks noted that such a facility is necessary for southern Estonia. "We have a number of companies here, as well as medical institutions, where this waste originates," she said.

In Estonia, about 380,000 tons of hazardous waste are generated each year, of which around 100,000 tons should ideally be incinerated for safety reasons.

The expansion of the hazardous waste incineration plant cost nearly €25 million.

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