Waste Disposal in Frederick County, MD

How to dispose of trash within their jurisdiction has to rank among the top of the many difficult decisions a county commissioner is faced with during their term in office. No one wants a landfill located near them, have the truck traffic associated with landfills, or have a Incinerator built that can spew toxins into the atmosphere.

The subject of waste disposal in Frederick County, Maryland came up in the late 1980s when there was serious community discussion surrounding the acquisition of property to be used for a landfill. Many objections were brought up at the time including the location, the suitability of the land for a landfill and how long would the landfill be viable as a method of handling trash disposal for Frederick County.

Twenty plus years later with Frederick County being one of the fastest growing communities in the state of Maryland, this issue is back on the table again for discussion.

As knowledge and concern has grown in the area of the environment, the methods of trash disposal have also received more scrutiny. People are more aware than ever of the need to preserve our natural resources for future generations.

Presently the Frederick County Commissioners are seriously considering building an Incinerator and are pushing one of the advantages being the ability to harness energy from the process. This is know as WTE or Waste to Energy. The Commissioners are also considering importing trash from nearby Carroll County to help pay for the cost of the construction of the Incinerator.

Commissioner David Gray and county staff have even traveled abroad to study innovative Incinerators in use and claim modern advancements have reduced polluting emissions that result from the use of Incinerators.

Locally, Sally Sorbello: http://www.wastestudygroup.com/ and Janice Wiles: http://www.friendsoffrederickcounty.org/ have researched this extensively. They provide information for you to read about why an Incinerator should not be built and why more recycling efforts are needed. I encourage you to visit these sites and read.

On Tuesday December 11th there will be a Public Hearing for Incineration in Frederick County. It begins at 7 pm and will be held at Winchester Hall on East Church Street in Frederick, Maryland.

Plan to attend and let the County Commissioners know your concerns.