Swedish firm buys company which converts trash from The Villages

The local waste-to-energy facility where trash from The Villages is hauled and converted is being sold to a Swedish firm.

Swedish private equity firm EQT is buying Covanta Holding in a deal worth $5.3 billion.

New Jersey-based Covanta owns and operates 41 waste-to-energy facilities in the United States, Canada and Europe, providing an alternative to landfilling waste.

This past October, The Villages began sending waste to the Covanta waste-to-energy facility in Okahumpka, rather than trucking it to a landfill in Georgia.

Deputy District Manager for The Villages Kenny Blocker said the purchase of Covanta is expected to be “seamless” and should have no impact on Villagers.