In a hearing by the County Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee, Montgomery County’s environmental protection director Adam Ortiz revealed the lack of space at the Shady Grove Transfer Station and Processing Center to meet all of the county’s recycling needs. As a result of the incapacity of the transfer station, the county currently sends around 14,000 to 16,000 tons of recycled waste a year to York, Pennsylvania, which costs $65 a ton. Penn Waste is in contract with Montgomery County to transport the waste from the county to York. The excess amount of waste being shipped costs taxpayers around a million dollars annually.
“I think it is good that residents are taking the initiative to recycle, but at the same time, spending one million dollars a year to ship recycled waste out of state does not seem pragmatic,” Ellen Zhang, a student in Montgomery County, said.
Although the county produces 120 to 130 tons of waste a day, the Shady Grove Transfer Station and Processing Center only has the capacity to process half that amount, which poses a problem as recycling rates are only expected to increase in the coming years.
“[To solve this problem], I think we should expand the facility or reform the infrastructure so it can process more waste,” Zhang said.
During the hearing, County Executive Marc Elrich also expressed his desire to close down the county incinerator, which turns waste into energy. In the incineration process of burning waste, harmful toxins such as mercury, dioxin, and other pollutants are released into the air. However, in order to shut down the incinerator, the county needs to reach a recycling level of about 84% according to Division of Solid Waste Services Chief Willie Wainer. The county currently only has a recycling rate of 60%, which includes recycling the ash produced from the incinerator.
“The county could promote more recycling by educating students on the importance of recycling. However, I know a lot of people would still unconsciously throw recyclable items into the wrong bins out of habit, so I think the county should make signs to remind people and maybe make the bins more accessible,” Zhang said. “To motivate residents to reduce waste, the county could make infographics or hold live demonstrations on reusing materials to limit waste.”
The county has a goal of reaching a recycling rate of 70% by 2020 and is planning on hiring a recycling coordinator soon.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Emily Zhang of Winston Churchill High School.