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Residents and Sierra Club urge alternatives to incineration; cite landfill capacity and environmental risks
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the Solid Waste Authority meeting urged the board to reject incineration plans and to pursue waste‑reduction, recycling and composting. Commenters noted potential health and equity impacts and cited staff materials showing landfill capacity concerns under some scenarios.
Four public commenters told the Solid Waste Authority they oppose incineration and urged the board to expand recycling, composting and waste‑reduction programs instead.
Key public remarks
Jessica Namath, founder and director of Palm Beach Clean Air and a county resident of nearly four decades, urged the authority to reject incineration and focus on reduction, recycling and composting. "Incineration may seem like a quick fix for our waste management issues, but it's far from the sustainable solution we need," Namath said, adding concerns about dioxins, furans and heavy metals and potential health risks.
Alexandria Larson, a resident who spoke during the consent‑agenda public comment period, said she did not want an incinerator and worried about site selection and rate impacts on lower‑income residents, saying, "We don't need incinerators." Larson recounted prior experience and urged the board to reconsider.
Gail Ladd and Linda Smith, representing the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group, emphasized health and climate impacts and urged the county to embrace composting and zero‑waste approaches. Smith cited authority materials (October 23 minutes) outlining capacity projections under different scenarios and said some scenarios indicate landfill capacity could be exhausted decades before mid‑century unless diversion is increased.
Why it matters
Commenters framed incineration as an expensive and polluting option and urged alternatives that would reduce disposal volumes, protect nearby communities and extend landfill life. Several speakers also pressed the board to update its material‑separation plans and to expand composting and commercial recycling incentives.
Board response
Staff responded to one public question about an Okeechobee landfill agreement, explaining that a backup agreement with Waste Management (operator of the Okeechobee landfill) provides regional disposal capacity for major disasters and structural debris at a specified price; it does not otherwise create routine disposal flows into Okeechobee.
Ending
Speakers asked the board to prioritize waste‑reduction programs, update material‑separation plans and avoid incineration; board members acknowledged the comments but did not take a policy vote on incineration at the meeting.
