The Wheelabrator Putnam ash monofill is a regional commercial facility that has been operating since 1999. The 9 million cubic yard facility, originally conceived to accommodate and dispose of ash from all of Connecticut's waste-to-energy facilities, receives over 700,000 tons of ash per year from several in-state and out-of-state waste-to-energy plants.

The nearly 200-acre facility is located on properties owned by Wheelabrator Putnam and the Town of Putnam and is a model for a public-private partnership. There are nearly 60 acres of permitted disposal cells, built sequentially throughout its life. Recent years feature innovative, proprietary Inashco technology to extract recyclable metals from the ash prior to disposal.

All wastewater generated by the site is collected and treated at the Town of Putnam Water Pollution Control Facility.  Environmental conditions are monitored by an extensive network of groundwater wells and surface water collection stations.

Responsible Disposal and Reuse

• Facility is Connecticut’s only double geomembrane lined monofill operating in the state
• Post-recycled waste processed in waste-to-energy facilities reduce waste volumes by 90 percent - remaining 10 percent is ash residue
• Wheelabrator Putnam safely disposes of ash after the recovery of ferrous scrap metals, such as iron and steel, and non-ferrous scrap metals, such as copper and aluminum
• Utilizing Inashco’s patented and proprietary technology, we further enhance metals recovery at the monofill, including copper, zinc, lead and aluminum as small as 0.2 mm in size
• Scrap metals recovered from the ash are sent to be recycled into new commercial products

“This venture with Wheelabrator will establish the foundation for the deployment of a new technology that will bring environmental benefits and enhanced economics to the waste-to-energy industry.”
- John Joyner, President of Inashco North America