Mayor McFarland announces “letter of intent” for long-term sale of City’s solid waste

Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland announced Wednesday, April 13, 2022, a letter of intent among WastAway, LLC and Argos USA LLC and the City. The letter is a step toward utilizing in Argo USA’s Calera, Alabama cement plant sustainable engineered fuel manufactured by WastAway and derived from the City’s solid waste. This letter of intent results from the economic viability study of WastAway’s refuse-derived fuel—SE3—that the City commissioned in July 2021. If formalized, the City project would deliver Argos a fixed minimum quantity of 104 tons of SE3 fuel per day over a 10-year period. The overwhelming majority of this fuel would be generated from solid waste generated within Murfreesboro.

“This is the first step for Murfreesboro to have solid waste independence from Middle Point landfill or any other landfill for that matter. WastAway’s process provides a beneficial fuel that hits all of the sustainability, economical, and environmental goals that benefit our community and enhance the quality of life for citizens in Murfreesboro,” announced Mayor Shane McFarland. “The Council and City staff have led the effort to find solutions to the issues involved with the landfill. This announcement is an important part of that effort to find a long-term, sustainable solution that is right for our community. I hope our work with WastAway can set the standard for a regional solution that others can adopt. We know our partners in Smyrna, Lavergne and Rutherford County can work together for a true sustainable solution. We have the right team working together and look forward to future progress.”

WastAway notified Assistant City Manager and Water Resources Director Darren Gore this week that a signed-executable Letter of Intent from Argos, indicating a willingness to enter into long-term fuel purchase agreements with the City of Murfreesboro as supplier for SE3 at the Calera, Alabama plant.

The fuel purchase letter of intent is subject to due diligence, including testing of the suitability of SE3 as a potential source of alternative fuel for Argos’s manufacturing operation.

WastAway presented a Waste-to-Fuel Report update before the City Council Workshop meeting March 9, 2022, on the economic viability of a waste-to-fuel or waste-to-energy project for the City’s municipal solid waste. The SE3 manufactured biomass fuel would be used in boilers for cement kilns and power generation facilities as a coal or wood equivalent.

WastAway, LLC is located in Morrison, TN. Argos USA operates cement and ready-mix concrete manufacturing facilities throughout the Southeastern United States.