20070711 “Trash talk” - Frederick News-Post editorial

“Trash talk” - Frederick News-Post editorial

Trash talk

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_editorial.htm?StoryID=62346

Originally published July 11, 2007

When it comes to trash, no one could claim that local government is ignoring the subject. Elected officials and county managers are acutely aware that solutions are required, and they are diligently at work exploring a range of them.

That doesn't mean that any solution(s) they ultimately decide on are going to sit well with all residents. So far, every attempt to address Frederick County's mounting (pun intended) trash problems have been met with resistance from other-minded people, including environmentalists, recycling enthusiasts and, in particular, those whose lives and property would be most impacted.

Solutions that have been proposed include a permanent new transfer station from which to send the country's trash elsewhere, raising the height of the Reichs Ford Road landfill, and constructing a waste-to-energy incinerator that would generate electricity from the heat produced by burning trash.

Opposition to any and all of these proposals is understandable. No one wants increased truck traffic, a higher, more visible landfill with potential safety issues, or a huge, expensive incinerating/generating facility in his or her backyard.

Still, all these potential solutions have been extensively researched and decisions to consider them were not arrived at frivolously or without considering their negative as well as their positive qualities.

The bottom line, however, is that this county generates a huge quantity of trash -- one that will only increase in coming years -- and effective method(s) of addressing its disposal or destruction are imperative. And while recycling is a positive, worthwhile and attractive endeavor that should be encouraged and can be part of the solutions mix, it alone is not the be-all and end-all to Frederick County's trash problem.

There is no solution to Frederick County's trash question that does not involve some negatives, whether they be financial, environmental or aesthetic. It's trash, folks.

It appears as though local officials are pursuing a multi-pronged approach to this issue, with some of the options -- such as the landfill height extension and transfer station -- being stop-gap measures. In the end, a more comprehensive, permanent solution, perhaps in the form of a waste-to-energy incinerator, will likely have to be embraced.

Local officials are acutely tuned in to this issue, as well they should be, and are thoroughly investigating a number of options. But again, when it comes to trash, there is no such thing as a perfect, negative-free solution.

If there were, trash wouldn't be such a dirty word.