1 of 37

REPLACING INCINERATION WITH ZERO WASTE SOLUTIONS

Kevin Budris / Deputy Director

kbudris@just-zero.org

2 of 37

ABOUT JUST ZERO

  • Just Zero is a member-supported non-profit organization
  • We work alongside communities, policy makers, scientists, educators, organizers, and others to implement just and equitable solutions to the waste crisis
  • We believe that everyone deserves Zero Waste solutions with Zero climate-damaging emissions and Zero toxic exposures

​

​

3 of 37

OUR APPROACH

Just Zero takes a holistic approach to Zero Waste advocacy that pushes to shut down dangerous waste facilities and advances policy solutions that stop waste before it starts.

4 of 37

AGENDA

  • Incineration: Toxic, Climate- Damaging, & Unjust
  • Real Solutions to the Waste Crisis

5 of 37

INCINERATION:�TOXIC, CLIMATE-DAMAGING, UNJUST

6 of 37

OUR TRASH: THE NUMBERS

  • The U.S. produces ~300 million tons of waste each year
          • 1,800 pounds per person
  • In 2018:
      • 146.1 millions tons of waste buried
      • 34.6 million tons of waste burned

​

7 of 37

WHAT ARE WE BURNING?

Source: EPA Facts and Figures About Materials, Waste, and Recycling

8 of 37

BURNING TRASH IS TOXIC

  • Compared to coal-fired power plants, incinerators emit more:
      • Mercury
      • Lead
      • Dioxins
      • Nitrogen Oxides
      • Sulfur Dioxide
      • Carbon Monoxide
      • Particulate Matter

Sources: EPA; Environmental Integrity Project; GAIA; The New School

9 of 37

TOXICS IN, TOXICS OUT

Everyday items in our trash are predominant sources of toxics

​

Plastics → dioxins, heavy metals

Organics → nitrogen oxides, dioxins

Packaging → dioxins, heavy metals

Tires → sulfur dioxides, dioxins

Sources: EPA; Environmental Integrity Project; GAIA; The New School

10 of 37

MYTH: “MODERN” INCINERATORS ARE SAFE AND COMPLY WITH EMISSIONS LIMITS

FACTS:

  • Permit limits based on available technology, not health standards
  • Pollution control devices don’t eliminate harmful emissions
  • Incinerators do not continuously monitor for the most hazardous pollutants
  • Most incinerators are 30+ years old and require frequent shutdowns and maintenance
  • Toxics end up somewhere

Sources: EPA; GAIA; Conservation Law Foundation

11 of 37

MORE THAN JUST EMISSIONS: INCINERATOR ASH

  • Roughly 25% of the weight of incoming waste is left over as toxic ash after incineration
  • Ash contains toxics like dioxins, lead, mercury, and PCBs and must be landfilled

Source: EPA

12 of 37

BURNING TRASH IS CLIMATE-DAMAGING

  • Burning trash generates more carbon dioxide than burning coal
  • “Biogenic” emissions matter
  • Landfills are not the proper point of comparison

​

​

​

Source: Neil Tangri, Waste Incinerators Undermine Clean Energy Goals (2023)

13 of 37

MYTH: INCINERATORS GENERATE RENEWABLE ENERGY

FACTS:

  • There is nothing “renewable” about trash
  • Incinerators create demand for waste to “feed the beast”
  • 26 states allow incinerators to claim subsidies intended for renewables through “renewable portfolio standards”

14 of 37

BURNING TRASH IS UNJUST

Nationwide, 79% of incinerators are in environmental justice communities

​

Source: The New School, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, U.S. Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators: An Industry in Decline (2019)

15 of 37

MYTH: INCINERATORS ARE GOOD NEIGHBORS

FACTS:

  • Studies have shown neighboring communities with elevated rates of lead poisoning, asthma, and cancers
  • Incinerators can create significant cost burdens for host communities
  • Most of the trash burned comes from other communities
  • Reuse, recycling, and composting create far more jobs than incineration

Sources: GAIA; Garcia-Perez, et al. (2012); Roberts, et al. (2006); Romanelli, et al. (2019); Ranzi, et al. (2011)

16 of 37

WRONG QUESTION, WRONG ANSWER

  • The waste crisis is about more than “waste”
  • “Producing” 300 million tons of waste is a production problem, not a waste problem

​

17 of 37

MYTH: WASTE IS INEVITABLE, AND IT HAS TO GO “SOMEWHERE”

FACTS:

  • “Somewhere” is a real place -- 76 million people live within 3 miles of a landfill or incinerator
  • There is no good choice when we treat waste as inevitable

​

18 of 37

FALSE NARRATIVES YIELD FALSE SOLUTIONS

19 of 37

THE ADVANCED RECYCLING MYTH

  • Plastics are “Plan B” for the fossil fuel industry
  • Efforts to reduce plastic pollution at its source threaten Plan B
  • Advanced recycling is a public relations strategy to make plastic seem sustainable

https://just-zero.org/reports/loopholes-injustice-advanced-recycling-myth/

20 of 37

REAL SOLUTIONS: ZERO WASTE

21 of 37

WHAT IS ZERO WASTE?

“The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”

- Zero Waste International Alliance

22 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS STOPPING WASTE BEFORE IT STARTS

Source: EPA Facts and Figures About Materials, Waste, and Recycling

​

23 of 37

WHAT ZERO WASTE IS NOT:

  • Individual choices
  • Recycle, recycle, recycle
  • Programs that put polluters in control
  • “Advanced Recycling” or “Chemical Recycling”
  • “Zero Waste to Landfill”
  • “Circular Economy for Plastics”
  • Any other false solution that doesn’t prioritize waste reduction

​

24 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS PACKAGING REDUCTION, REUSE, AND RECYCLING

25 of 37

PACKAGING REDUCTION: DOS AND DON’TS

  • Do:
      • Prioritize reduction and reuse
      • Include mandatory, enforceable targets
      • Provide strong oversight
  • Don’t:
      • Hand the keys to the industries that created the problem
      • Let consumer brands set their own targets
      • Carve out loopholes for incineration and “advanced recycling”

​

https://just-zero.org/packaging-reduction-and-recycling/

26 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS BOTTLE BILLS

27 of 37

MODERN BOTTLE BILLS

  • Strong deposits
  • Redemption and convenience targets
  • Transition to refillable containers

​

https://just-zero.org/our-stories/explainer/how-bottle-bills-make-real-impact/

28 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BANS

29 of 37

AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP

  • REDUCE, reuse, recycle
  • Every ban builds momentum
  • Plastic is a production problem

https://just-zero.org/reducing-single-use-plastics/

30 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS ORGANIC WASTE DIVERSION AND COMPOSTING

31 of 37

FOOD WASTE PREVENTION & RECYCLING LAWS

  • Require food waste generators to avoid waste and manage what remains through donations and composting
  • Help boost food rescue
  • Drive investments in and access to composting programs

https://just-zero.org/reports/issue-briefs/tackling-food-waste/

​

32 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS TEXTILES REUSE AND RECYCLING

33 of 37

ZERO WASTE MEANS PAY-AS-YOU-THROW

34 of 37

35 of 37

JUST ZERO IS HERE TO HELP

Education: We use conversations, written resources, and educational events to spread the word about Zero Waste policy initiatives.

Policy: We draft model legislation, we work with lawmakers and advocates to support nation-leading Zero Waste proposals, and we advocate before regulatory agencies faced with important waste-related decisions.

Community Engagement: We engage with community groups, grassroots organizations, and coalitions to help them blaze their own Zero Waste trails.

36 of 37

STAY IN TOUCH WITH �JUST ZERO

We cannot implement just, equitable Zero Waste solutions without you!

​

https://mailchi.mp/just-zero/email-sign-up

37 of 37

THANK YOU!

Kevin Budris / kbudris@just-zero.org / 617-905-1302

Follow Us @

JustZeroOrg

justzero_org

JustZeroOrg

Just Zero