The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) has awarded a major contract for what it describes as a transformative organics recovery and renewable energy facility, marking a significant shift in how the New York county manages its municipal waste.
The UCRRA awarded the contract — issued under Request for Proposals RFP 2025-01, covering solid waste diversion and alternatives to landfilling and combustible incineration — to a consortium led by Global NRG Advisory. The facility will be built on the agency's existing 120-acre county-owned site at 999 Flatbush Road in Kingston.
The project will integrate mechanical separation, thermal hydrolysis, and anaerobic digestion technologies to process municipal solid waste locally, converting organic material into renewable natural gas (RNG) and other recovered commodities. Based on the county's waste characterisation data, the system is designed to divert approximately 60 to 70 per cent of waste from landfill, recovering more than 90 per cent of organics from treatable municipal solid waste.
Proponents say capturing methane through controlled anaerobic digestion — rather than allowing uncontrolled decomposition in landfill — will deliver meaningful reductions in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, supporting New York State's pathway to net-zero. The project is also expected to reduce fugitive methane and odour-causing emissions, cut pollution associated with long-haul waste transportation, and improve local water quality through integrated wastewater treatment and controlled process water management.
The project team includes ARCO/Murray as engineering, procurement, and construction partner; Econward Tech, supplying its BIOMAK thermal hydrolysis pretreatment system; PlanET Biogas as anaerobic digestion technology provider; and Van Dyk Recycling Solutions for advanced preprocessing and material recovery.
Chris Negus, co-founder and chief executive of Global NRG Advisory, said the award reflected Ulster County's commitment to moving beyond landfill-dependent infrastructure. "By reducing landfill disposal by up to 70 per cent, capturing methane for renewable energy, and protecting air, soil, and water resources, this project demonstrates how well-designed infrastructure can deliver climate progress while serving communities," he said.
Marc Rider, executive director of the UCRRA, described the project as a potential model for other waste agencies across New York State and the wider United States. "We are dealing with the same issues many others face: decreasing landfill capacity and increasing transportation and disposal costs," he said. "We believe this project will be industry-disrupting."
The project is currently in a due diligence and contract negotiation phase. Once that is concluded, it will proceed to detailed design, permitting, and stakeholder engagement, followed by construction and commissioning.
Ulster County Agency awards contract for landmark waste-to-energy facility
