Waste Management is planning to open a recycling hub in Detroit next to the site of a trash incinerator that was shut down in 2019 after receiving repeated air quality violations. Nearby residents are worried that the facility would mean increased truck traffic and air pollution.
Darla Brooks is with the Kenyatta Block Club, an organization that represents some residents in the 48207 zip code. She says if the recycling hub ends up being built, the community would like to know what benefits Waste Management will offer them.
“What are you bringing to the party?" Brooks asked. "It's already one going on, and you showed up, and you walk in and think that you get the mic. It doesn't work like that.”
Brooks is one of the residents worried that the new facility would increase pollution.
“When you say the word recycle… I have to know that the word trash is somewhere in there," Brooks said. "And if the word trash is somewhere in there, and something that is being gotten rid of, well, then what comes up next in my head, is the word toxins.”
Waste Management said in a statement that it will continue to work closely with local officials and community members, also stating recycling and sorting materials should emit little to no pollution. They say most of their trucks are powered by compressed natural gas, which has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional diesel engines. The company claims the response to the 35-million-dollar Detroit facility has been very positive.