A Hudson Falls, New York, community became outraged after a nearby garbage plant began negatively affecting their health. The fires that came from the plant in the last few years have worried one woman, who believes the smoke is affecting her community, News10 reports.
What's happening?
Living about 0.1 miles away from the Wheelabrator garbage plant, resident Andrea Kirby expressed that she and others are experiencing concerning health issues from the plant.
"There's been times I can't go outside, I have to go back in, so we want people to know that the air quality is not acceptable in this area," Kirby told News10.
Kirby is worried the air quality has become highly polluted and wonders what "toxins are spewing into the air now" they are breathing.
Litter in these plants often gets incinerated to minimize the risk of soil and water pollution, per Rubicon. Yet, burning trash can cause air pollution and the possibility of acid rain, as it releases toxic compounds into the air.
Waste incineration releases harmful chemicals and pollutants, which include particulate matter that can cause lung and heart diseases, heavy metals that can cause neurological diseases, and toxic chemicals like PFAS and dioxins, which can lead to cancer and other health problems, according to Gaia. The pollutants can enter the air, water, and food supply.
Why is it important to combat waste incineration?
Chemical recycling involves burning plastic or hard-to-break-down litter. Many industries tout it as environmentally friendly because it decomposes litter that can take up to 500 years to break down, per Forge Waste & Recycling.
Nevertheless, this process can cause more harm than good. Beyond the detrimental health impacts it has on human health, it can drastically alter the society you live in. From the damage to infrastructure to the altered food supply, learning about how waste incineration can have multiple long-term effects on your well-being is important.
Air pollutants can also impact fertility, meaning they can last beyond current generations, The Conversation revealed.
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What's being done in Hudson Falls?
With a group of people frustrated in Hudson Falls, Kirby put together a small group called "Breathe Free Hudson Falls." The group's goal is to get rid of the garbage plant; however, this has proved difficult with pushback from the organizations that run the plant.
The perception that waste incineration is beneficial for the environment is a belief that has perpetuated air pollution across the U.S. Environmental Justice Groups have voiced strong opinions against waste incineration. Daniel Rosenberg for NRDC wrote in an "Expert Blog" that "[R]eal solutions must focus on producing less waste, manufacturing less plastic, and using effective and proven methods of mechanical and organics recycling — not finding new ways to incinerate these materials. We need to move towards a truly circular, sustainable, just economy based on materials that don't pollute, don't contain toxic chemicals and don't come from fossil fuels."
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