ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Montgomery County Council is weighing whether to shut down a 31-year-old trash incinerator or continue to burn the county's garbage, a choice that could shape local waste management for decades.
What we know:
The council met Tuesday to consider two competing resolutions: Keeping the incinerator open or pursuing an alternative. The councilmembers face an impending vote scheduled for November 10.
The Dickerson incinerator, which has been operating since 1995, requires major upgrades. Estimated repair costs are around $356 million.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich wants to shut the facility down. Under his proposal, trash would be transported by train or truck to landfills outside Montgomery County while officials develop advanced waste processing technology to sort out additional recyclable materials.
"I've seen what's possible, other people are doing, and it is not economically have to break the bank, the equipment is not all that exotic, mostly conveyor belts," Elrich said. "I don't see any harm in being patient and making sure you make the right decision."
Council President Natali Fani-González highlighted the long-term stakes of the council's upcoming action.
"Putting politics and everything on the side, this is something we need to take responsibility of this really important decision that we're going to have that will affect future generations," Fani-González said.
The issue has ignited a debate among residents and policymakers. Opponents of the Dickerson facility cite air pollution and environmental concerns as primary reasons to shutter the plant.
Proponents of keeping the site functional argue against the environmental consequences of routing more waste into landfills.
The cost remains a central part of the discussion. County projections show that maintaining and updating the existing incinerator would increase the annual trash charge for a single-family home by about $39. Choosing an alternative route would result in an estimated $55 increase.
Jennifer Macedonia, Director of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, emphasized that inaction is not an option.
"There really is no status quo. We have a decision to make, we have to make some investment," Macedonia said. "It's either investing in that existing system with a major upgrade and costly upgrade or moving to a new system."
Macedonia added that when evaluated on a typical household level, the financial differences between the two proposals are narrow.
"Although both represent an increase in today's level because they represent investment, they're actually pretty similar in cost, so about a dollar difference for an average single-family home," Macedonia said.
What's next:
No formal action was taken during Tuesday’s meeting.
The council is expected to decide whether to repair Dickerson or transition to an alternative waste system during a vote on November 10.
The Source: Information in this article is from a Montgomery County Council meeting.