In July 2022 the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority’s (MIRA) 30-year old garbage incinerator in Hartford, Connecticut will close. An estimated 700,000 tons of waste will be transferred to landfills out of state, with some trash hauled as far away as Ohio. The building and its aging infrastructure required over $300 million invested to keep up operations, and without a substantial capital infusion, the plant will be forced to close. A state official pointed out that further investment in the plant is not a good deal for the public. With the redevelopment now dead, reducing overall waste and scaling up recycling has become critical for the 51 towns that have been using the Hartford plant for disposal.
Curiously, one official lamented that the towns will now have to send their waste to landfills in other communities. Yet for 30 years the plant has been sending tons of air pollutants to communities hundreds of miles away. The wind makes neighbors of us all.
For press coverage of the announced closure, go here and here.
Further information about the plant is available here.
Photo credit: iStock
