LORTON, V.A. – Covanta Fairfax(opens in a new tab), the owner and operator of the waste-to-energy facility in Lorton, Virginia, recently received the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce’s Best Large Business of The Year Award. The award is presented annually to one local business that has gone above and beyond in its business practices and embodies the values of the Chamber.
For over 30 years, Covanta Fairfax has served the more than 900,000 residents and businesses in Fairfax County, VA with reliable and sustainable waste management. Using waste-to-energy technology, the facility takes non-hazardous waste – otherwise destined for landfill – and combusts it, generating steam for electricity production. Ash is processed to recover metal for recycling while all gases are collected, filtered and cleaned to minimize environmental impact.
“Covanta is honored to receive this recognition from the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce,” said Don Cammarata, Area Asset Manager at Covanta. “Supporting our neighbors and local communities, especially during these uncertain times, is what community outreach is all about and gives meaning to our tagline, Protecting Tomorrow.”
Covanta Fairfax supports several important community organizations and causes, including the Lorton Community Action Center, scholarships to local students, educational events and tours, safe drug disposal in partnership with the State of Virginia and the honorable retirement of old US Flags along with local veteran groups and Boy Scout troops.
“Apart from fighting climate change by processing more than one million tons of waste every year—and avoiding just as much landfill dumping and greenhouse gas pollution—Covanta Fairfax has been an active community member and strong supporter of local organizations,” stated Mark Murray, Chairman of the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce. “For your efforts in these areas and more, we thank Covanta Fairfax for all that it has done to support our residents.”
In 2020, Covanta Fairfax completed major facility improvement projects, furthering its commitment to minimizing environmental impacts. This included the successful completion of a multiyear project to replace its four fabric filter baghouses, which remove 99.5 percent of particulate matter, and the installation of Low Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) systems on two of the facility’s four combustion units. This proprietary technology developed by Covanta enables existing waste-to-energy facilities to further reduce NOx emissions, equal to the removal of roughly 50,000 passenger cars from the road – a significant achievement for both the local environment and regional air quality. When this system is installed on all four units, the facility’s NOx emission levels will be less than 5% of the region’s total inventory.
By keeping waste out of landfills, Covanta Fairfax reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 1,220,000 tons of carbon dioxide, similar in impact to taking 236,000 passenger vehicles off the road for one year. The facility produces 80 megawatts of electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; enough to power 62,000 homes for a year.
