On Tuesday, county councilmembers will discuss new options for how to get rid of trash.
“That’s like the most important decision this fall,” Council President Natali Fani-González said during a briefing she held Monday to mark the council’s return to session after recess.
There was a proposal during the budget season from County Executive Marc Elrich to close the incinerator in Dickerson and transition to hauling trash on trucks to a landfill outside of the county.
“So imagine having trucks with trash on 270 and 495,” Fani-González said. Currently, trash is sent from the Shady Grove Transfer Station via train to the incinerator in Dickerson, and then the ash is taken by train to a landfill in Virginia.
According to Elrich in a March letter, switching to long-haul this year would avoid more investments in an aging system and allow funds to go to a more sustainable solution.
“By contrast, shifting to long‑haul landfilling would provide both the financial incentives and the operational capacity to pursue waste‑reduction strategies,” Elrich stated.
After Elrich’s recommendation, councilmembers ultimately decided to wait and review options. Now, the time is coming when county leaders will make a decision on how to get rid of trash.
Fani-González highlighted options that will be discussed Tuesday:
- Closing the incinerator and hauling trash via truck to a landfill outside of the county
- Closing the incinerator and using long-term landfilling
- Continue operating the incinerator while transitioning to newer trash-processing technology
- Continue operating the incinerator as is
The county’s Department of Environmental Protection will present options. The goal is to have a council decision by Thanksgiving, Fani-González said.
Fani-González said she does not know which jurisdiction Elrich plans to send trash to, “and that bothers me.” She added, “sometimes the communities who receive the trash from somebody else are communities who are low income and people of color, and I just don’t think that’s right.”
The council will have sessions on the topic every other week. A majority of councilmembers must approve a plan.
A council bill is not anticipated related to this decision, so there is not a requirement for a public hearing. But Fani-González said she is open to a town hall once there is more clarity on where the council lands. Councilmembers Dawn Luedtke and Sidney Katz held a town hall on the topic earlier this month. Fani-González said residents have been sending “tons of emails” about the issue, mostly to say that they do not want to see trucks with trash on the beltway, she said.
