Montgomery County Commits to Incinerator Repairs Over Off-County Landfill
Councilors voted 6-5 to upgrade the Dickerson Power Plant, citing the burden of hundreds of diesel trucks on local roads if waste were hauled elsewhere.
By Isaac Medina ·
Montgomery County Councilmembers cast six votes in favor of keeping the county’s trash incinerator operational, rejecting a plan that would have sent refuse to a landfill outside the county.
The decision centers on the Dickerson Power Plant, which burns waste to generate energy. The facility requires long-term repairs, but the council determined that hauling garbage away would be a worse outcome for local infrastructure and equity.
The debate intensified as officials weighed the costs of repair against the environmental impact of alternative methods. County Executive Marc Elrich argued that the expense is inevitable for taxpayers, whether paid through school levies or direct incinerator fees. He stated, “You’re gonna be paying this as a tax one way or another, whether it’s a school tax or whether it’s a tax for the incinerator, we’re all gonna be paying it.”
Residents and councilmembers emphasized the need to avoid shifting the waste burden to other communities. Councilmember Kate Stewart noted, “I just can’t shift the burden of our trash to other communities.” Her colleague Evan Glass warned that the alternative would add hundreds of diesel fuel trucks roaming local streets and highways.
Council President Natali Fani-Gonzalez framed the decision as a critical choice for the future, saying, “When you are producing trash, it needs to go somewhere, and that ‘where’ is critical and vital.” Councilmember Dawn Luedtke acknowledged the universal dislike of waste management, adding, “Look, nobody wants to deal with trash, period. Full stop.”
The council also allocated $28 million to build a composting facility aimed at reducing overall waste volume. However, Executive-elect Will Jawando pointed out that the council has not yet set aside a specific funding amount for the incinerator repairs or decided on concrete next steps.
The county must now solicit bids from companies to determine the exact cost of the upgrades. Five new councilmembers are scheduled to be sworn in during December, a timeline that could lead to further changes in the county’s waste handling plan.
