Talking Trash: Swarthmore Questions Chester Government’s Stance on Incinerator

A few weeks ago, someone sent me an email asking if I was aware of the opposition that Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and Chester City Council are mounting to the passage of resolutions by Delco municipalities against the Covanta incinerator.

They were referring to the fact that, in May, the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority will likely sign a new contract with Covanta, potentially locking the entire county into a new 10-year agreement with the incinerator company. This would allow a continuation of the havoc currently being wreaked on the health of people in the Chester community and beyond. It would also undermine local recycling and waste-reduction efforts. 

If you didn’t already know, the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority controls what happens to the trash in every town in Delaware County. Much of Delco’s trash comes to Chester to be burned in the Covanta incinerator, commonly called the trash-to-steam plant, located on the beautiful Delaware River. Delco trash makes up about a third of the total trash load Covanta burns.

Before I got the email, I didn’t know about the local opposition to the municipal resolutions. But I did know about a letter Chester’s mayor sent to Philadelphia’s City Council in June 2019 urging Philly to renew its contract with Covanta and continue trucking trash to Chester. 

The points Mayor Kirkland made in that letter are the familiar tropes he and Chester City Council are now spreading around. The email to me read:

I spoke with Nafis Nichols, CFO of Chester City, about Covanta. He recently spoke with Mayor Kirkland about how some municipalities are considering resolutions and he wanted to share the following:

• Chester has been monitoring Covanta closely and feels that they are doing what they need to do, according to environmental laws/regulations.

• Chester City is in dire financial straits, and Covanta provides significant revenue to the city.

• Chester Council is in the process of putting together a marketing piece of why they are in support of Covanta.

• Chester Council will make a statement of support for Covanta during its upcoming meeting on Wednesday.

• The council plans to send official documentation of its stance to the municipalities that are considering resolutions against Covanta.

As word about Chester City government’s position in support of Delco continuing to bring their trash to Covanta got around the county, the environmental justice community was quick to react. 

Mike Ewall of Energy Justice Network wrote that the city has a serious conflict of interest in the matter. He also said that the costly health impacts on the entire region should be weighed against any short-term monetary gain. Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living have been circulating a petition to stop the incinerator. It can be viewed or signed here: swat.ink/covanta-petition.

At its March 8 council meeting, Swarthmore Borough became the first Delco municipality to pass a zero waste resolution. The resolution states that Swarthmore does not want to see a renewal of the contract with the Covanta incinerator. Although its vote could be seen as a symbolic gesture, Swarthmore made it clear to the rest of the county that it is not scared to step up on behalf of the health and safety of Chester residents.

Here are some of the passages in the Swarthmore resolution:

• Chester City has a 69% Black population within 69% white Delaware County, and it is a result of environmental racism that the citizens of Chester City endure disproportionate cumulative effects of pollution from multiple industries.

• The childhood asthma hospitalization rate in Delaware County is 22% above the state average, and the rate in Chester City is nearly three times the state average. Childhood asthma rates in Chester are five times the national average.

• Swarthmore Borough requests that the new Delaware County health department, when established, assess the noise pollution and air quality in neighborhoods around the incinerator and make actionable recommendations to improve public health.

• Swarthmore Borough requests Delaware County Council to ensure that the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority does not extend the service agreement with Covanta Delaware Valley when the option is presented to them by Covanta as early as May 1, 2021.

Chester City government’s argument for keeping trash incineration going in Chester is totally about money to the city budget. Coincidentally, the city is set to receive up to $30 million in stimulus money from the federal government real soon. Imagine if some of that could be used to offset the $5 million annual contribution Covanta makes to the city. I’m sure that within the next six years Delco could figure out how to send its trash to somewhere other than Chester. 

Environmental racism is a scourge on Delaware County and a death sentence for Chester residents. Is that worth $5 million a year? You decide. Swarthmore already did. 

Stefan Roots blogs at Chester Matters.