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You are receiving this email since you have used one of the action alerts managed by Climate Coalition Montgomery County. We have included you in our mailing list to keep you informed about the updates, and you may unsubscribe any time using the link at the bottom of the email.

Update on our County Solid Waste Management Plans

Please go to the Open House events and Take the Survey about our County Solid Waste Management Plans!

This is your chance to let your voice be heard about county solid waste plans to advance zero waste - recycling, composting, reuse, and waste reduction programs AND for us to shift away from burning our trash and food scraps--to waste management systems that are more environmentally responsible, better for our health and better for social justice!

Montgomery County Department of Environment (DEP) is hosting 3 Open House events to provide information on their plans to improve solid waste management with a path to close the incinerator (see information below).

It's critically important for us to register our opinions and let the County know that we oppose spending millions of dollars more to prop up a polluting incinerator that is 30 years old AND because of its age, recently had a major dioxin leak (the principal chemical in Agent Orange), and it could have been leaking for up to a year! (see link to DEP statement).

DEP is conducting a Survey (see link below)

Please carefully answer these important questions in the Survey, and consider the additional information we provide:

• "Rate how safe you believe the Resource Recovery Facility is, as a way to manage our waste in the County on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is "extremely safe" and 1 is "extremely unsafe." Consider 3 to be neutral." 
• It's extremely unsafe! The Resource Recovery Facility/Incinerator, when compared to landfills, pollutes twice as much Greenhouse Gases and multiple times worse the amount of toxic emissions than landfills. And remember our Incinerator leaked dioxins this past year!

• "Rate how effective you believe the Resource Recovery Facility is as a way to manage our waste in the County, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is "extremely effective" and 1 is "extremely ineffective." Consider 3 to be neutral."
• It's extremely ineffective! Using Incinerators for burning waste provides no incentives for us to ramp up our zero waste programs like composting. Even if we reduce our waste production, we have to continue to pay full price to burn it. Our zero waste goals include doing the least harm and burning waste is an ineffective way to meet those goals. Burning causes emissions that harm our community and a minority community in Virginia, which receives our toxic ash. Burning is one of the dirtiest ways to make electricity--instead, we should be investing in clean green energy production.

Note: The survey asks for your zip code. Let’s make sure we show that residents across the county are concerned. Have everyone in your household answer the survey! 

Here's the information from the DEP website:

"Join us at an upcoming open house and give us your feedback!

• Monday, March 2, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Services Center (12900 Middlebrook Rd, Germantown)

• Wednesday, March 4, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Isiah "Ike” Leggett Executive Office Building Auditorium (101 Monroe St, Rockville)

• Thursday, March 5, 6 to 8:30 p.m. (Virtual). Register on Zoom.

Email by February 25 to request an interpreter: Openhouse@raftelis.com

Thank you for helping to improve our solid waste management and environment!

Sincerely, 

Karl Held, Kevin Walton, Sebastian Gordon, Liisi Fidler

Coordinating Committee

Climate Coalition Montgomery County