Commercial Boilers and Industrial Furnaces Increase Volumes of Hazardous Waste Fuels by 2.4 Percent in 2000

Decreasing Capacity in Sector Adds to Optimism

Contacts: John McMurray 952/831-2473, ext. 14
Cary Perket 858/488-4760

August 7, 2001 — For Immediate Release

Edina, MN — The EI Digest: Hazardous Waste Marketplace, North America’s leading research service on hazardous waste management, announced the results of its annual survey of the commercial boilers and industrial furnaces (BIF) sector. The report reveals that the 22 commercial BIFs in the United States and Canada processed approximately 1.292 million tons of hazardous waste fuels in 2000, an increase of 2.4 percent from 1999, when 23 facilities processed 1.261 million tons of hazardous waste fuels. In addition, the report indicates the BIF sector’s practical capacity was 1.678 million tons in 2000, a 4.5 percent decrease from the 1.756 million tons of practical capacity reported in 1999.

"Five facilities have exited the commercial BIF marketplace the last three years, due, in part, to low prices and the high regulatory costs associated with burning hazardous waste fuels," comments EI Researcher John McMurray. "As a result, the shrinking capacity of the sector, coupled with the increasing volumes of hazardous waste fuels processed by these facilities, should lead to better economic conditions for the remaining competitors."

This sector is one of the few within the commercial hazardous waste management sector that has seen significant reductions in the number of competitors and facilities. "The reduction in the number of hazardous waste energy recovery plants is an important first step in the recovery of this sector," says EI Senior Analyst Cary Perket. "The next step will be for more of the fuel managers at the BIF facilities to vertically integrate their services to fuel blending and waste fuel collection. A number of companies are already moving in this direction."

This report appeared in the EI Digest: Hazardous Waste Marketplace, a business research report published 10 times per year that covers hazardous waste management issues. Further information of the EI Digest can be found on ENVIROBIZ.COM (www.envirobiz.com), one of the Internet’s leading sites for proprietary and public environmental business information. Based in Edina, Minnesota, Environmental Information, Ltd. (EI) specializes in information and research on the environmental services and technology marketplace. EI provides original subscription-based research services. Among the services is the comprehensive compilation of the largest directory and database of environmental service firms, landfills and treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facilities in North America. For further information, contact customer service at 952/831-2473.

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