TOOELE — A medical waste incinerator company that drew scrutiny from a North Salt Lake neighborhood is seeking approval for its proposal to burn double the waste in a new location.

Officials with the Utah Division of Air Quality (DAQ) recently completed a review of Stericycle’s proposal to burn about 18,000 tons of medical waste at a new location in Tooele County, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The agency is recommending approval of the measure with the condition that Stericycle implement new technology to detect when pollution spikes and to shut down operations when it does.

Dr. Brian Moench, President of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, told KUTV News he can’t understand why the DAQ would approve a plan to incinerate more waste when that will only lead to more pollution . The toxins that Stericycle releases into the atmosphere are cancer-causing and known to cause birth defects, he said.

Moench told KUTV News, that residents in Tooele will not be exposed to the pollution levels that hit people in the North Salt Lake neighborhood where the current plant sits, but the pollution will travel down-wind into the Wasatch Front since emissions from incinerators can travel hundreds of miles.

The group’s position is that the company should not be allowed to operate in Utah at all, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The new goal of burning 18,000 tons of waste is up from the 7,000 tons the plant burns at its current location, the Associated Press reported. The move was prompted by increased criticism and medical concerns about the plant which is located in close proximity to a residential area. A state probe found the plant violated emissions limits for over 13 months in 2011 and 2012.

In 2014, the state fined Stericycle $2.3 million and agreed to cut it in half if the company moved it’s operations, the Associated Press reported.

A public comment period is being opened before the DAQ makes its final decision. The public comment period will run until April 23. Comments can be emailed to jlblack@utah.gov or mailed to the Division of Air Quality, 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114.. 

The DAQ will hold a public meeting at Tooele High School on Monday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m.

Contact reporter Andreas Rivera at 801-625-4227 or arivera@standard.net. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter at @SE_Andreas.