Incinerator ever present in Detroit ?

[Detroitnerd]

A lot of decent people in the 1970s believed that it was a good thing to build it, and against the backdrop of Detroit's ambient pollution at the time, it probably wasn't that big a deal.

But on a weekend when the trash is piling up, a high pressure system is overhead, or the mercury is rising, the whole neighborhood has a smell that could knock a buzzard off a dung wagon.

https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/w...t?oid=11022315

[Wesley Mouch]

A lot of decent people in the 1970s believed that it was a good thing to build it, and against the backdrop of Detroit's ambient pollution at the time, it probably wasn't that big a deal.

But on a weekend when the trash is piling up, a high pressure system is overhead, or the mercury is rising, the whole neighborhood has a smell that could knock a buzzard off a dung wagon.

https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/w...t?oid=11022315

I drive and bicycle by a lot. The area sure does stink.

Defending the trash incinerator is a bit like defending Harvey Weinstein, you know. But here goes a contrarian take:

I'm not sure the smell is really from the incinerator. The stack discharge certainly shouldn't be smelled much locally. And that's highly regulated. Maybe the pile of garbage stinks, but what I think really stinks is the local rendering plant, and the trash transfer station -- neither of which are really the incinerator. [[Not sure this is true, anyone have an update on rendering plant? And if you don't know what rendering is, you need to look it up to understand the smell.)

I've always thought this plant was nowhere near as bad as the anti's claim. Far from perfect, but mostly this is an emblem for anti's -- and as such claims tend to be exaggerated.

[Detroitnerd]

I drive and bicycle by a lot. The area sure does stink.

Defending the trash incinerator is a bit like defending Harvey Weinstein, you know. But here goes a contrarian take:

I'm not sure the smell is really from the incinerator. The stack discharge certainly shouldn't be smelled much locally. And that's highly regulated. Maybe the pile of garbage stinks, but what I think really stinks is the local rendering plant, and the trash transfer station -- neither of which are really the incinerator.

Partly true. The poisons that issue from the stack are relatively odor-free. They are the more dangerous emissions, but do little to contribute to the facility's "bouquet."

The airplane hangar-sized building full of trash waiting to be burned is what causes the smell. This is documented in many verified complaints made to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Air Quality Division. In other words, the DEQ has sent inspectors to the plant dozens of times to verify that the smells are indeed emanating from the trash facility. The trash facility is part of the incinerator.

Also, somebody had mentioned that the facility is on a long-term contract with GM's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, and therefore is locked in to continue to burn trash. There may be a contract, but it's worth noting that it is possible for the plant to burn natural gas to produce the steam and electricity it does with burned garbage. It has switched over to NG as recently, I believe, as earlier this year, while the facility's trash burners are serviced. While fossil fuels pose their own significant problems, it is entirely possible for the plant to switch to NG and continue to operate, with fewer health consequences.