Expansion of the existing incinerator will only delay the important decision that we as Pasco County citizens need to make today – how can we implement a long-term, environmentally sound and economically feasible solution to our growing waste management problem? Incinerator expansion is not a viable option because:
- Current projections indicate that the expansion of the existing incinerator will only provide an additional three decades of solid waste management. Why only three decades? Because in the incineration process, garbage is burned, and as a result an ash is formed that must be put in a landfill. The projections for the lifetime of the incinerator option shows that the existing ash landfill’s days are numbered. The facility life could be extended by expanding the landfill, but this will result in a large ash fill in a rapidly growing area that will function as a dry tomb.
- Ash that is formed as a result of the incineration process can be toxic, containing dioxin, mercury and heavy metals.
- It would, at best, provide a short-term solution to the waste management problem in Pasco County.
- Environmental watchdog groups including Greenpeace and the Sierra Club say incineration is among the worst options because:
- Incinerator ash can be toxic with concentrated amounts of heavy metals and dioxin; in fact, entirely new chemicals can be formed during the incineration process.
- Incinerators emit a wide range of pollutants in their stack gases that can travel great distances on air and ocean currents, ending up on the ground or in surface waters.
- Learn more about how garbage incinerators pollute our air:
- Greenpeace-stance of environmental organization Greenpeace on garbage incinerators
- Sierra Club-stance of the Sierra Club on municipal waste management
- www.no-burn.org - The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, an international alliance of individuals, community-based organizations, and academics that promote sustainable waste prevention and discard management practices
- Click here to read a letter to the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners from Dr. Dwight Adams regarding the environmental benefits of an organic composting facility compared to an expansion of the garbage incinerator
- Click here to read an article written by Dr. Dwight Adams, Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Florida , on the benefits of recycling and the drawbacks of incineration.
© 2007 Angelo's Recycled Materials
