CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A resolution in Philadelphia City Council would keep the city’s trash from being burned in a neighboring community. The proposal has residents in the city of Chester very excited.
Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s resolution would stop the city’s trash from being burned at the Reworld incinerator in Chester. It’s the largest incinerator in the country and burns more than 3,500 tons of trash a day — with the majority of that trash coming from Philly.
“I think the city of brotherly love [and] sisterly affection has taken a very bold step for the lives of the residents of the city of Chester, and Philadelphia and the region,” said Zulene Mayfield, chairperson of Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL). She said the incinerator, which is just 15 miles from Philadelphia, releases a number of pollutants.
“Every day, we are environmentally assaulted. Every day, we have pounds and pounds of pollution that falls in our community, dioxins, arsenic, cadmium — all cancer-causing pollutants,” she said, adding that it isn’t just a Chester problem.
“There is no shield in Chester that keeps it in Chester. We are all affected by this. We are all affected by poor air quality. The Philadelphia region is a non-attainment. That means we don’t have good air.”
According to Mayfield, the incinerator presents economic difficulties in addition to health issues. “We can’t properly develop 3.9 miles of our waterfront because of that incinerator,” she said.
Mayfield said she’s optimistic that the resolution will pass through Council and that it will be a very crucial step to cleaning the region’s air.