The company's website invites the public to "Come learn about plans for our green technology plant and future landfill operations."
Over the summer, Paul Burns of WM informed Stop the Dump members Susan Meredith, Susan Watkins, and Brian Doyle that WM was considering an energy-producing facility for the Riverbend site. Burns declined to discuss the nature of the proposed facility other than to say that it would convert ordinary MSW (municipal solid waste, the stuff people throw away) into energy.
Using MSW as an energy source is big news, because MSW makes up the bulk of landfill garbage and also produces the most odor and gas as it decays. Developing an efficient conversion process that does not in turn pollute air and water is one of the holy grails of waste handling.
According to Burns, the conversion process WM is proposing will not be able to utilize all categories of waste brought to Riverbend. As a result, WM will continue to seek landfill expansion.
The Stop the Dump Coalition suggests several "baseline" commitments WM should make in any expansion proposal:
- Place all WM/Riverbend-owned lands at the site into a permanent easement that prohibits landfill-related uses in perpetuity;
- Explicitly protect waterways that border or cross WM/Riverbend-owned lands from landfill-related activities;
- Monitor emissions at the landfill perimeter and optimal off-site locations and allow public access to the data in real time, and promptly correct any problems;
- Monitor ground water quality on neighboring properties, share data with landowners, and promptly correct any problems;
- Require loads to be sorted for recoverable material before the load will be accepted at the landfill;
- Ensure that "green technology" utilized at the site truly is green.
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