Commentary: Dumping trash in Virginia or Pennsylvania is not the answer for Montgomery County

Closing Montgomery County's resource recovery facility and sending county trash to an out-of-state landfill may seem attractive, write Kit Gage, Virginia Thomson and Dani Wilches Venegasclos, but it has higher costs, health and environmental justice impacts.

By: Kit Gage, Vivian E. Thomson, Dani Wilches Venegas

Outlets: Maryland Matters

Published: November 6, 2026

Words: 894

Last Updated: 3 days, 13 hours ago

Body Text Preview

Montgomery County Council members face a momentous trash management decision. They will soon vote on County Executive Marc Elrich’s push to close the county’s resource recovery facility (RRF) and export 600,000 tons a year of trash to an out-of-state landfill.

But landfilling our waste would have worse environmental, public health, cost, and environmental justice impacts than operating the RRF, according to Nature Forward, the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, and the …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

Accessibility

About

FAQ

Email Us