Montgomery County hearing lays out 4½–5 year timeline to replace incinerator; community group pushes for faster shift to hauling and composting

Montgomery County Council members heard a briefing on Jan. 28, 2025 from the Department of Environmental Protection on the county’s “aiming for 0 waste” work, including options to replace the county’s resource recovery facility (RRF). Director John Monger told the council the county’s engineering analysis shows “implementation of any new system for handling our trash will take a minimum of approximately 5 years, according to our engineers,” and that the county has set an “ambitious” schedule to stand up alternative systems and close the RRF.

The briefing matters because it frames the timeline and budget decisions the council must make this spring and summer: DEP said a series of council actions — approving the updated solid waste management plan, funding preliminary design work in the FY26 budget and later funding final design and construction — are required to keep a transition on schedule. Community groups represented at the briefing said those steps are not happening fast enough and urged the council to deny or sharply limit any contract extension for the RRF while a short-term hauling contingency is put in place.

DEP outlined multiple parallel efforts: expanding residential curbside organics collection and building an organics processing facility; upgrading the county’s recycling center with technology to improve materials sorting; and evaluating alternative processing technologies and long-haul options. “We are…