Burning Waste Poisons People
Jackie Mercurio is carrying on her mother’s fight against a toxic waste incinerator.
Jackie Mercurio is carrying on her mother’s fight against a toxic waste incinerator.
In times of change and upheaval, there is also room for hope and inspiration. While we collectively have much hard work ahead of us, we also have much to commend. Our hope is that this report offers insight into the work that your support makes possible – and inspiration for what we know we can accomplish together.
“It’s about time the state got around to addressing one of many severe public health issues posed by the Wheelabrator Saugus facility,” said Kirstie Pecci, Director of the Zero Waste Project at CLF. “But requiring a study is totally inadequate and does nothing to compensate the community for the suffering this facility caused all summer. The community will only be protected when this toxic facility shuts down for good.”
Wheelabrator cannot be allowed to ignore those whose lives are most directly affected by its proposal to expand its massive ash landfill in Saugus, Massachusetts.
“The Wheelabrator landfill is the most dangerous in Massachusetts, and it is putting the health of nearby residents at risk,” said Kirstie Pecci, director of the Zero Waste Project and a Senior Fellow at CLF.
As we close out a month in which the Massachusetts coast was hit with three nor’easters – and narrowly missed a fourth – Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is still considering whether to allow Wheelabrator to continue dumping huge quantities of ash from its trash incinerator into its adjacent landfill in Saugus. The Agency’s… Continue reading Deadline Looms for Decision on Expansion of Dangerous Landfill in Saugus
This may be the most dangerous landfill in Massachusetts, yet MassDEP intends to continue to allow it to expand with no end in sight – but we have a chance to put a stop to it if we speak up now.
Landfills like this one in Saugus, MA, are notorious for releasing lead, mercury, and other cancer-causing chemicals into our air and water – so it’s no surprise that the surrounding communities are feeling the burden of their polluting neighbor.
Saugus Town Meeting members have sent a clear message to companies with facilities that pose a danger to public health and the environment: there must be reasonable limits. Last week, Town Meeting voted to approve amendments to Saugus’s zoning by-laws that limit the height of all landfills within the town to 50 feet. In addition… Continue reading Massachusetts Town Moves to Stop Unrestricted Landfill Expansions
I can still remember the conversation vividly. It was February of 2008 and my brother was calling to beseech me to represent a group of citizens to oppose the expansion of the Southbridge Landfill. I have to admit, I was skeptical about his concerns. This was the brother with all the ideas I sometimes wish… Continue reading Why the Zero Waste Project? Protecting My Family and Yours.