The government has orders to shut down the
island’s landfills within the next 36 months, and proposals to build
incinerators in Arecibo and Barceloneta, Sierra Club members said during
a press conference at the Puerto Rico Bar Association, in Miramar,
Tuesday.
“Incinerating our trash is not the solution, because a
third of each ton of trash that is set on fire becomes highly toxic
ashes, and winds up in landfills,” Biaggi said, adding government's goal
should be to reduce, reuse and recycle our solid waste.
According
to Biaggi, Puerto Rico should be able to take care of 67 percent of its
solid waste, while supposedly generating thousands of related jobs.
Recently,
Barceloneta residents by chance found out a public hearing was being
held on the construction of a solid waste incinerator with the capacity
to burn a daily 249 tons of garbage.
The environmental group
said the Environmental Quality Board is expected to approve an
environmental impact statement for the project within the next 10 days.
The EQB is expected to approve the impact statement within a month of
the initial project review.
Biaggi said the document’s fast track evaluation is based on a “false” emergency energy declaration announced by Fortuño.
The
people who would be most affected by the proposed projects were totally
unaware public hearings were being held, and were never informed where
it was going to be built, the environmentalist said.
“It
really worries us that they (the government) are proposing (to build) a
facility to burn trash without the required the Environmental Protection
Agency air quality permit, and it is our responsibility to tell the
governor and the mayor (of Barceloneta) that there are more effective
and cleaner ways to deal with trash and generate energy,” said Diana
Pérez, member of the Historic Barceloneta Eco Community.
Pérez
pointed out the permit allows for burning a maximum of 250 tons of
solid waste per day. The local projects would supposedly burn up to 249
tons of garbage daily, missing the limit by a ton.
The EQB
issued a resolution in October ordering that landfills not complying
with regulations be closed within the next 36 months.
Incinerating
our trash is not the solution, because a third of each ton of trash
that is set on fire becomes highly toxic ashes, and winds up in
landfills,” Biaggi said
“This requirement will open the way for municipalities to opt for solid waste incineration projects,” Perez added.
According
to Puerto Rico Medical Association Public and Environmental Health
Committee president Carmen Roque “incinerating garbage could expose the
population to inhaling multiple toxins that are related to various
diseases including cancer.”
