PLAQUEMINE - The Iberville Parish government and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality cut the ribbon on a new environmentally-friendly incinerator Tuesday.

The S330 is a portable FireBox invented by Air Burners and has made its home at a debris collection site in Plaquemine off of Enterprise Boulevard. According to the company website, it's the "most economical and environmentally sound method of eliminating wood and vegetative waste."

Iberville Parish isn't the first parish to purchase a device like this; Assumption and Terrebonne Parishes have already invested in the tech. Parish President Chris Daigle said Tuesday that he was skeptical of the device at first, especially with its steep price tag. It came at the suggestion of Sanitation Department Director Brandon Mellieon and Director of Environment and Economic Development John Clark, as well as other parish officials.

"They helped me see the true benefits to the environment that this purchase could do," Daigle said.

The incinerator will be part of the solution to harmful emissions and pollution.

"Our new administration has been looking at new advancements and technology to bring our parish up to speed with the rest of Louisiana," Daigle said.

In 2024, Iberville Parish was impacted by tornadoes, wind storms, and Hurricane Francine. From those storms, a lot of vegetative debris was created. The incinerator will help the parish become more efficient in its debris removal operations and is cost-effective at keeping 1,200 miles of parish waterways clean.

"Hauling the debris to the landfill can be cost prohibitive, not to mention vegetative debris takes up valuable land space in a landfill," Clark said. "We are permitted to open burn, but sometimes that causes excess smoke and we hear about that from some of our residents."

The incinerator will reduce smoke by up to 90% and reduce waste to approximately 2% of its original weight.

LDEQ Secretary Aurelia Giacometto was at the ribbon cutting and is excited about how this tool will improve storm response.

"This incinerator may be a single tool, but it's part of a larger conversation about how local governments can lead when it comes to environmental innovation," said Giacometto.  

After the material is incinerated, you're left with what's called BioChar. It will be used as a soil amendment for local agriculture as fertilizer, soil stabilizer and fill material.

Daigle also mentioned during Tuesday's news conference that the parish has purchased two new sanitation boom trucks that will be added to the fleet soon. The incinerator cost about $250,000.