On April 20th, we hosted Let’s Talk Trash, an online discussion of Oregon PSR’s campaign to oppose trash incineration in Marion County and beyond. We explored the health effects of waste incineration, how we can eliminate the burning of trash in Oregon, and a zero-waste system that reduces trash and pollution while protecting and putting the health of Oregon’s communities first.
We were joined by Patricia Kullberg, MD, MPH, Oregon PSR Healthy Climate Action Team member and the former Medical Director of Multnomah County Health Department. Dr. Kullberg walked us through what incineration is, the toxic pollutants emitted by incinerators like Covanta Marion, and the risk factors that incineration can have on community health and the surrounding environment.
Carina Perez Europa, Oregon PSR’s Marion County Clean Air Organizer, discussed our efforts to oppose the Covanta Marion incinerator and promote alternative waste management systems that could replace incineration, shared examples of similar projects across the nation, and let attendees know how they can get involved in our anti-incineration work.
David De La Torre, Oregon PSR’s Healthy Climate Program Director, explained how opposing waste incineration fits into the work that we do to protect public health and the environment while centering our work in justice and equity for communities, especially those that have long been disproportionately negatively impacted by energy and environmental policies.