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Pahrump residents press commissioners to rescind approval of medical-waste recycler over safety, landfill and traffic concerns
Summary
A packed public hearing on July 16 drew dozens who urged Nye County commissioners to rescind a conditional use approval for MetaWaste’s proposed pyrolysis medical‑waste recycling facility in Pahrump, citing landfill capacity, truck traffic, public‑safety and water and emissions questions; applicant representatives said initial feedstock will come from California and that pyrolysis produces no air-stack emissions and can be tightly contained.
MetaWaste Disposal LLC’s plan to open a medical‑waste recycling facility in Pahrump produced the day’s longest debate at the July 16 Nye County Board of Commissioners meeting, where presenters defended the technology as a closed-loop pyrolysis system and residents raised sustained concerns about truck traffic, landfill impacts, emergency response and long‑term risks.
Mark Fiorentino of the Kemper Kroll law firm outlined the proposal for a facility at 1850 East Basin Avenue, saying MetaWaste would bring in sealed, pre‑sorted containers from California, run a pyrolysis process that produces dimethyl ether (DME), bio‑oil and biochar, and load the liquid products into tankers for removal. Fiorentino said pyrolysis operates without combustion or air‑stack emissions and that biochar would be tested and—if it meets landfill acceptance—taken to the county landfill. He said the company expects to invest about $8 million and create 5 full‑time jobs initially, scaling to about 15 at capacity.
The county’s staff review and the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission…
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