Medical Waste Incineration Is Obsolete and Unneeded
Medical Waste Incineration is Obsolete and Unneeded Baltimore is home to the nation’s largest medical waste incinerator. It’s now operated by Curtis Bay Medical Waste Services, better known by their former name, Curtis Bay Energy (also previously known as Medical Waste Associates, then later as Phoenix Services). In 1995, Baltimore was home to another 23 hospital-based medical waste incinerators. Like most of those in the nation, all 23 of these closed down by 2013. Now, Curtis Bay Energy, with two burners, counts as two of fewer than 30 remaining medical waste incinerators in the nation, and the only ones still operating in Maryland. Only one of their two burners is operating for lack of waste to burn. Number of EPA Source Operating Medical Waste Year Incinerators Document Incinerators in U.S. 1988 6,200 Source 1994 5,000 Source 7,000 1995 2,373 Source 6,000 Widespread adoption of 2003 116 Source cheaper, safer, non-burn 2004 110 (no longer online) 5,000 alternatives to medical 2008 57 Source 4,000 waste incineration have replaced over 6,000 2009 57 Source 3,000 incinerators in the past 2010 54 (no longer online) 2,000 few decades. 2012 53 Source 2013 33 Source 1,000 0 There is more than enough non-burn medical waste processing capacity in Baltimore to replace Curtis Bay Energy. 35,000 30,000 Curtis Bay Energy’s competitors in Baltimore FACT: Only 5.8% of the 25,000 have 20 times the capacity waste burned at Curtis needed to handle 20,000 Bay Energy in 2017 Baltimore’s medical waste came from Baltimore if Curtis Bay Energy closed 15,000 30,125 tons City.
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