MIAMI (WSVN) - Protestors gathered outside the Miami-Dade County Government Center in a final effort to sway county leaders’ plans to install a garbage incinerator near the city of Miramar. The commission decided to push the item back until Nov. 6.
Residents and Broward County leaders showed up to Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday to send Miami a message.
‘What do we want?” said a woman with a megaphone.
“We want clean air!” said protestors.
‘No incinerator,” yelled a man with a megaphone.
“Not in our town,” said chanting protestors.
“When do we want it?” yelled a protestor.
“We want it now,” they chanted.
Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, who opposes the proposition, joined residents as they wore shirts reading ‘Not in our backyard’ while advocating for air quality and wildlife protection, which they believe will be compromised with the proposed location.
The mayor, doubling down, said the plant will cause permanent damage to his residents during Tuesday’s meeting with the Miami-Dade County Commission.
“Miami-Dade County really should think about taking the time necessary to make the right decision. It’s really about the legacy. The right decision on how we’re going to process garbage without imposing human risk. Risk to our clean water supply. Risk to our sensitive environments like the Everglades. Airport West is an absolute risk site for many factors and for many reasons don’t put it in our backyard,” said Messam. “Your decision today will be one of the most consequential decisions that this board will make. The question is, will you make the right one?”
The potential environmental and health impacts of having an incinerator within proximity of their community have proven to be a deal-breaker for many.
“Definitely not in our backyard. We don’t want this incinerator nowhere near here and we want to have sustainable solutions, so we want them to look at other methods of burning rubbish,” said Broward County resident, Carson Eddy Edwards.
“The fact that they want to put it right across the street from the Everglades is crazy to me. We have spent billions of billions of dollars on Everglades restoration and this is counterintuitive, to then put a waste plant right next to it,” said State Rep. Robin Bartleman.
Residents stepped up to the podium and echoed the same messages from Broward County leaders.
“We don’t want this incinerator in our backyard,” said a man.
“Incinerators are far worse than a fire, they are permanent,” said a woman.
“We don’t need this type of stuff spewing chemicals into our air,” said another man.
Residents of Miramar were concerned about their own safety and the environment.
“This isn’t just about one incinerator today, it’s about our future,” said another man.
“I am shocked that you are considering placing an incinerator next to the Everglades,” said a woman.
The protest came on the heels of a full house town hall meeting held on Monday by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Department of Solid Waste Management. The meeting centered on where Miami-Dade is hoping to put its new waste-to-energy plant.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into this decision,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “And above all our priority has been to ensure that a new facility is safe for people and for the environment.”
During the meeting, Cava said the county has done its homework. She said the goal in Miami-Dade County is to create a plan for zero waste, or greatly reduce the amount of garbage produced, so landfills and incinerators aren’t needed.
Miami-Dade County’s previous waste-to-energy facility was destroyed in a fire in 2023. Now the county commission is set to vote on a new location for a “Waste to Energy” plant.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recommended the old Airport West as a fitting location for the modern waste-to-energy plant, located near Miramar’s western border, but the recommendation has faced major pushback from residents.
“They should take that money and the extra time they’re thinking of using they should invest in collaboration with Broward County, who also needs to put in a waste solution. Then, together, the two counties, can come up with something that will not have the kind of negative impact that we’re looking at in Opa-Locka,” said Judy Jawer.
Furthermore, Mayor Wayne Messam also has threatened to sue Miami-Dade County to block the construction.
“It is incomprehensible to think that a facility on a large, industrial site that will burn over 4,000 tons of trash per day will not have one ounce of smell, will not emit anything that is harmful to our health,” he said.
The proposed measure lies in the hands of the commissioners. 100 people showed up to the Tuesday meeting to make their voices heard.
Cava and other city leaders told the crowd in attendance during the meeting that the new incinerator will be highly regulated, and will not be like facilities of the past.
In addition, talks of a land swap with a land developer in Medley, if approved, would move the facility to Medley instead of near Miramar.
On Tuesday night, the commission pushed the item back until Nov. 6.
However, Cava said the county, at some point, will have to make a decision and move forward.
“Choosing not to choose, would only kick the can down the road,” said Cava. “We put a tremendous amount of thought and consideration, to make this decision and ensure that we will build the safest possible facility. We took the most conservative models we could about any potential exposure from the site. And even then the risk levels are below, way below, the acceptable risk levels laid out by the EPA.”
During the next 60 days, the plan is to gather more information on other possible sites.
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