What’s wrong with Swarthmore’s Zero Waste Resolution

To the Editor,

I think the passage of Swarthmore’s Zero Waste Resolution was ill advised. I also think that the Swarthmorean’s article reporting on this resolution (March 19) was not effective journalism. It could have provided some background facts to support those who were against this resolution (or even to support those who favored the resolution).

In all that I have read regarding the Covanta plant from news sources and advocacy groups, I have not found any proof that what comes out of Covanta’s smokestack is dangerous for humans. Usually I find just some pat phrases to hook the biases of liberal readers concerning the waste industry.

The Covanta plant in Delaware County represents the EfW, or “Energy from Waste” industry. I have not noticed anyone in this debate using this terminology. Instead, they use “incinerator,” with all the word’s attendant negative connotations. Of course this ploy is also used to engage the biases of liberal readers concerning the waste industry.

The Europeans are promoting the EfW industry because, essentially, it recycles waste products into usable power (electricity) — waste products that would normally go into a landfill, which, by the way, produces a greenhouse gas called methane. For information on how other countries are using EfW technology, go here: swat.ink/EfW.

Rather than trying to shut down the Covanta plant, we should be promoting it, with responsible regulation and a large source of trash. As with any technology, over time the process will be made more efficient and cleaner, benefiting everyone.

Also, even though it is within the Chester city limits, the Covanta plant is much closer to the Toby Farms community than to most Chester residents. I passed through the Toby Farm community earlier this week, and you can actually see the smokestack overhead from the eastern part of that development. What separates the Covanta plant from the populated area of Chester is the great highway, Interstate Route 95, which has been there for decades. Thousands of cars, trucks, and buses use that route every day. If you want to get an idea of what spews out of those tailpipes, go here: swat.ink/air-pollution.

I’d be willing to bet that the residents of Chester are subjected to a thousand times more harmful pollutants from this traffic than from what comes out of the Covanta smokestack. But I doubt you’ll see a movement to shut down I-95 for being environmentally unjust.

Regards,

Rich Ailes
Swarthmore