Tensions over nation’s largest incinerator heat up as July 1 contract deadline looms

DETROIT — It’s a pivotal moment for the future of the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Facility, the nation’s largest trash incinerator. As contracts between the city and the authority that oversees the trash burner are set to expire, newly elected Mayor Dave Bing, who during his mayoral campaign said he has been against renewing the contract, will announce his official position on the topic on Thursday.

After July 1, Detroit is no longer contractually obligated to send its trash to burn in the east side disposal facility. The $1.2 billion in bonds were paid off this May and the end of this month marks the last day of the binding contract between the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority (GDRRA) and the city, unless the GDRRA can match the prices landfills charge per ton, which is currently $25.

Critics say that since GDRRA has been making $179 per ton of trash that goes to the incinerator, it is making a huge profit as local residents breath in dangerous air. The GDRRA board meets Thursday afternoon to review bids for the 2009-2010 fiscal year to determine if it can match landfill prices and automatically extend their contract.

Burning trash in Detroit has always been a complex issue. Critics say that most of the trash burned at the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Facility does not even come from Detroit residents. Supporters of the 20-year-old facility, which burns 800,000 tons per year, argue that the incinerator is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of municipal waste while the energy created provides electricity for city buildings downtown.

But for those living in Detroit neighborhoods have a different opinion of the towering facility located at Ferry and Russell streets near the I-94 and I-75 interchange on the east side. Families with young children are especially concerned, because environmentalists cite Michigan Department of Community Health statistics that show that children living near the incinerator are hospitalized for respiratory conditions at a rate triple the state average.

The department also says that children living in the city are 5.4 times more likely to die from an asthma-related illness than anywhere in the state.

On Tuesday, community leaders and concerned residents participated in two protests, marching in front of Coleman A. Young Municipal Building downtown wearing masks and chanting: “Mayor Bing, do the right thing.” Combined, the events attracted approximately 50 people, according to organizers.

“I’m asthmatic. When I took a toxic tour I couldn’t handle [standing outside the incinerator] more than two minutes. I had to get back on the bus,” said Detroit resident Delores Leonard. “Going outside is not an easy thing.”

Sierra Club volunteer Ed McArdle, 66, says it’s been a long battle. “I’ve been fighting this for 20 years,” he told Michigan Messenger.

McArdle’s fellow Sierra Club volunteer, Anna Holden, 80, of Detroit said she had been protesting the city’s waste disposal method for 15 years. “The emissions go where the wind goes,” she said. “There are so many that it affects.”

The burning of municipal waste can emit a variety of toxins, including dioxin, lead and mercury, which worries environmentalists and public health advocates.

While the expired contract could spell the end the controversial burning, some activists said they aren’t all that optimistic that the contract won’t be renewed.

“I thought last year when we were going to city council meeting, I thought we made progress,” said Garret McClean, who moved to Detroit two years ago. “But now with all the mayoral mess going on it seems … there’s a lot more possibility for them go back on their word.”

Andrew Kemp, who lives with his wife and two young children in a neighborhood just blocks away from the incinerator, is not confident that Bing and the council will side with the community. “Last year they said July 1st it was a done deal,” he told Michigan Messenger at the protest. “Now it’s all changed. I was here 12 months ago doing the same thing.”

Here is video of the protest: