Full Title: Vestiges of Environmental Racism: Closing California’s Last Two Municipal Waste Incinerators
Author(s): Lisa Fuhrmann, Whitney Amaya, Thomas Helme, Bianca Lopez, Nick Lapis, Nicole Kurian, Byron Chan, Oscar Espino-Padron, Andrea Guerra, Erica Martinez, Kartik Raj, Lupe Ruelas
Publisher(s): Earthjustice, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, Valley Improvement Projects
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
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Description (excerpt):
There are two municipal solid waste incinerators still operating in California: the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility (SERRF) in Long Beach and the Covanta Stanislaus incinerator in Stanislaus County. The problems with these incinerators in California are emblematic of the larger problems with incinerators across the country. To start, these incinerators pollute the environment and harm public health by converting waste into harmful air emissions and toxic ash. Financially-strapped local governments and residents have also been forced to pay millions of dollars to subsidize the expensive maintenance and operations of these aging incinerators. Further, SERRF and Covanta Stanislaus emit a large amount of greenhouse gases, while producing very little energy – contrary to their branding as “waste-to-energy” facilities. These incinerators also stand in the way of a zero-waste future because they compete with more sustainable methods of waste management for the same materials and the same government funds. Additionally, the State of California incentivizes local jurisdictions to send their waste to the incinerators through the use of “diversion credits” – credits towards meeting State goals to reduce waste for recycling and composting – and then does not provide adequate funding so that local jurisdictions can effectively transition to zero-waste. Ultimately, these facilities are obstacles to a full investment in a zero-waste future for California residents and should not be subsidized or supported any longer.