Months after a fire at Doral's Covanta waste-to-energy plant, the future of the facility remains uncertain.
Miami-Dade County employees are currently working on a report that is expected to be completed in mid-September and will be presented to commissioners.
According to Commissioner JC Bermudez, the report will analyze alternate locations, available technology, and overall cost.
Ahead of this report, Bermudez and Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins held a Sunshine Meeting to answer questions from Doral residents and anyone interested in the issue.
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"At some point, we have to make a decision that’s good for all of Miami-Dade County, not just Doral. So we’ll have to see what that decision is," Bermudez said. "Whether the plant opens up in a very temporary fashion. Do we find a new place? Or as you heard the director say they continue to go to landfills, and that’s a decision we need to make moving forward."
Commissioners and members of the public were also able to tour the facility on Wednesday.
Before the February fire at the plant, some Doral residents were already opposed to the operation of the facility. The fire reignited a heated debate.
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"I want to see this plant shut down. I want to see this area recovered," said Doral resident Selma Garcia. "And I want to see the county handling solid waste differently."
At this time, alternate sites include one in Medley and two west of the Turnpike beyond the urban development boundary.
"Currently we are hauling waste away to landfills. Landfills have maximum capacities," Higgins said. "We don't want to reach maximum capacity and be in a bind for the residents of the county. This is not only a garbage situation, it’s a health situation, it’s an environmental situation."
Bermudez says his goal is to get the Covanta plant away from urban areas.
