Let's not incinerate our future

Based on what I’ve read, waste-to-energy incineration is the most costly and polluting method for dealing with our trash, and it is not a final disposal method. A landfill is still needed to handle residual ash, which amounts to one ton of ash for every three tons of trash burned.

This ash is toxic, as are the emissions; no pollution-control devices can eliminate pollution completely. The better solution is to look at the resources that are in our trash and recycle and compost them instead.

If done right, a recycling program saves more energy than incineration produces. Recycled materials are worth more than electricity produced from burning. There are plenty of great examples in other communities for Frederick to draw upon.

For another perspective on how to handle waste in a sustainable manner, I urge all concerned residents to attend Dr. Paul Connett's presentation at Hood College's Whitaker Campus Center, 7 p.m. Aug. 28.

Dr. Connett is a chemist and toxicologist who can explain more about the dangers of incineration than the EPA, and can teach us about better alternatives being used today in communities worldwide.

Waste-to-energy is not a new technology. It is an old and faulty one that has caused undue pollution and financial debt to communities all over the United States and abroad. There are reasons why it has not been the method of choice for more than 15 years in this country, and why cities like Detroit are shutting their facilities down.

Let's learn from the mistakes of others, and not from our own in Frederick County. Let's not incinerate our future.

Patrice Gallagher, Jefferson