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FACT: A portion of the County Executive’s FY2027 budget would close the Montgomery County trash incinerator by year’s end and shift to a safer waste disposal system for the entire county. Our county’s non-recyclable trash will instead be transported to well-vetted, safe, and environmentally sound landfill in neighboring states. FACT: Truck hauling of trash is by far the most common waste management system in the U.S. It accounts for the disposal of 65% of trash after recyclable and compostable material is diverted from the “waste stream.” FACT: Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has justified closing the aging incinerator after exhaustive studies, data, and a detailed budget that support this safer and healthier plan. An agreement with a qualified contractor is nearly finalized. FACT: Council President Fani-Gonzalez is now stalling, blocking efforts to inform the Council and move the plan forward—even after reviewing the DEP’s plan and having all her questions answered thoroughly by the DEP. FACT: If approved as proposed, the current budget projects costs of the DEP’s proposed new waste management system to be about the same as incineration—but vastly safer and healthier for all concerned. FACT: If Council President Fani-Gonzalez persists in stonewalling approval of the current budget, the current contract vetted by the DEP’s proposal process will expire. A new and lengthy request for proposal (RFP) process will start. FACT: Any delay means higher contracting costs when a new contract is awarded. The math is simple: by acting now the County Council can prevent putting millions of dollars into a failing incinerator to maintain it at a safe level, and instead, a new waste management system operated by an approved contractor can begin. Know the facts.
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