Incinerators have gotten nearly $160 million under New Jersey’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) under the guise that they are “clean” energy. They are anything but. New Jersey’s incinerators emit more pollution than any other facility on the state’s grid today. This pollution is concentrated in EJ communities. Incinerators emit lots of pollution even in years with short total permit violation time.

So reducing payments to incinerator by the percentage of permit violation time, as the current version of the Clean Energy Act of 2024 would do, is not the answer. This will barely put a dent in millions of unwarranted “clean” energy money they get. Instead, incinerators should be totally disqualified for any substantive permit violation.

Do you know where your trash goes? Read this new report from NJEJA, Earthjustice, and the Ironbound community corporation to learn more about the injustice of incinerators and trash energy in New Jersey’s frontline communities.

New Jersey is no stranger to the negative impacts of incinerators, many of which are located in the state’s over­ burdened, environmental justice communities. Residents of these communities are more susceptible to asthma and COVID-19 due to the cumu­lative impacts from incinerators and other pollution sources. New Jersey’s four currently operating incinerators (Covanta Essex, Covanta Camden, Covanta Union, and Wheelabrator Gloucester) and one recently closed incinerator (Covanta Warren) collectively:

• Emitted over 10,000 tons of air pol­lution and nearly 7 million tons of greenhouse gases from 2015 to 2018;
• Placed among the state’s top 5 emit­ters of a dozen distinct air pollutants;
• Violated their air permits over 1,700 times since 2004; and
• Collected nearly $30 million in “clean” energy subsidies from utilities and ratepayers since 2004, despite these emissions and violations.

Read this new report from NJEJA, Earthjustice, and the Ironbound community corporation to learn more about the injustice of incinerators and trash energy in New Jersey’s frontline communities.