Closing the Dickerson Incinerator Is an Environmental Justice Issue
July 23, 2026
Montgomery County faces an important decision about the future of its waste system. Watch this short video from Zero Waste Montgomery County to understand why closing the Dickerson incinerator—and ending the disposal of its ash in a majority-Black Virginia community—is a step toward environmental justice.
Ask Council members to support DEP’s comprehensive waste-management plan, move forward with permanently closing the Dickerson incinerator, and replace the current system with a cleaner, safer, and more equitable approach to managing Montgomery County’s waste.
On Tuesday, July 28, the Montgomery County Council will consider options for how we manage our waste disposal. Just months ago, the County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) presented a comprehensive and visionary waste management plan to the County Council. This plan would close the Dickerson Incinerator and end burning of nearly 600,000 tons per year of non-recyclable trash— the single largest source of pollution in the County.
Importantly, the closure will:
End the practice of dumping incinerator ash on a majority Black community in Virginia,
Implement significant waste reduction strategies like food, scrap composting countywide, and
Send our residual trash to an out-of-state landfill that meets strict environmental justice criteria, thus no longer harming the population that lives in the community.
SCA is concerned that several County Council Members have these facts confused.
This plan is a win-win solution—for Montgomery County, for waste disposal, and for communities of color affected by current practice.
The video above, produced by Zero Waste Montgomery County—an advocacy organization that works closely with SCA on these issues—responds to claims by some County Council members that DEP’s plan would harm communities of color.
The opposite is true. Our current system—burning the trash and dumping its ash has been harming a majority black community for 30 years.
The plan proposed by DEP is a far safer and forward-looking solution—for all of us. The current system promulgates environmental racism.
Please contact your County Council members and demand they accept and implement the plan designed by DEP. Close the Dickerson Incinerator now.
Background
This link will take you to the article, “Our Position on Montgomery County’s Trash Overhaul Plans,” on the SCA website.
This link will take you to a recent Maryland Matters commentary by SCA’s vice president Lauren Greenberger on this issue.
This link will take you to a detailed rebuttal of a report written by two members of the advocacy group Friends of Sligo Creek that suggested that continuing to incinerate might be the best course of action.
This link will take you to an article that appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of PLENTY magazine. The article, written by SCA President Steven Findlay and Vice President Lauren Greenberger, has relevant background information on this issue.