MIAMI – Miami-Dade County commissioners once again recently delayed a decision on the controversial trash incinerator that environmentalists worry will dump massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the hemisphere and residents just don’t want in their backyard.
After the old Covanta Plant burned down last year in Doral, the county hasn’t decided on the location of the new waste-to-energy incinerator. The county administrator recommended the site of the former Opa Locka Airport West, near Krome Avenue and Okeechobee Road.
The other sites the county considered for the incinerator — capable of turning 4,000 tons of trash daily into electricity and alternative fuels — were near Northwest 106 Street and 98 Court in Medley, and another near Okeechobee Road and Northwest 178 Street.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recently told Local 10 News that her administration has researched new technology, including the one used at new waste-to-energy plants in Japan and Europe. She added there is evidence that landfills are more harmful.
“We can’t just wish the waste away,” Levine Cava said. “We have to deal with it responsibly, and I am satisfied with the expert advice that I have received that this is a responsible way.”
Commissioners expect to be able to vote on a location for the incinerator in December.
Find complete coverage on the Don’t Trash Our Treasure page >