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Heated debate at Montgomery County hearing over closing the county incinerator and DEP disposal plan
Summary
Residents, scientists and advocacy groups at the April 8 hearing urged the County Council to approve the Department of Environmental Protection’s plan to close the aging Resource‑Recovery Facility (RF) and transition to composting and vetted landfills; opponents called for more data and warned of costs and operational trade‑offs.
A sharply divided public hearing over Montgomery County’s proposed FY27 budget turned on the fate of the county’s 30‑plus‑year‑old trash incinerator — the Resource‑Recovery Facility (RF) in Dickerson — as dozens of residents, scientists, nonprofit leaders and business representatives testified on April 8.
Supporters of the Department of Environmental Protection’s plan urged the council to approve funding that would permit the county to close the RF, build a composting facility and ship remaining waste to landfills vetted for liners and methane capture. Elizabeth Fiedler, a resident, told the council the plan "will enable Montgomery County to finally close that trash incinerator," and cited recent equipment failures and public‑health concerns documented in county reports. Several speakers said…
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