Stericycle’s relocation proposal will be heard on the floor of the state House of Representatives.
Members of the House’s Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee gave a resolution to permit the medical waste handler’s relocation to Tooele County a unanimously favorable recommendation.
House representatives at the Wednesday afternoon meeting said they felt Stericycle had outgrown its current location in North Salt Lake. The move was timely, they said, and the proposed site appropriate for Stericycle’s line of work.
Selin Hoboy, vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs for Stericycle, agreed.
“I think our representatives saw that it was a good solution to a difficult situation,” she said.
One woman, a resident of the North Salt Lake neighborhood where Stericycle is located, attended the public hearing to voice her concerns that the move was an “inappropriate” way to handle the Stericycle problem. She called for additional oversight during the relocation process.
All others who spoke at the meeting voiced favorable opinions of the move. Local Rep Doug Sagers, R-Tooele, said that, as a medical executive, he could attest to the essential nature of Stericycle’s incineration service.
“Working in the medical industry — medical waste is something that happens every day,” he said. “It could be someone’s appendix, a piece of flesh … this is simply a byproduct of health.”
Tooele County Commissioner Shawn Milne also attended the meeting to read a formal letter of support from all three county commissioners. Though the letter generally expressed a favorable view of the relocation, Milne said it did not guarantee that local government would approve the final conditional use permit.
“What we’re supporting right now is the process moving forward,” Milne said.
However, as the process continues, Milne said he has questions he wants to address with Stericycle regarding their specific plans for the new incinerator.
Though Stericycle has not released any formal plans, Hoboy said the new facility would be equipped with the latest technologies and would produce half the emissions as their current plant.
“The new facility will be one of the first of its kind, state of the art with all the latest technology,” she said.
The resolution will now proceed to the House floor for approval. If approved, it will continue on to the state senate for additional legislative consideration.