Howard County residents voice frustrations over proposed recycling plant
As the county council considers plans for the recycling plant, dozens of residents spoke out at a heated public hearing, asking the board to shut this proposed plan down.
W.R. Grace & Co. told WJZ that the plant will introduce a new and safe way to recycle plastic. However, residents are calling on county leaders to have W.R. Grace build the plant away from their residential neighborhoods.
"Too close is too close," said Howard County resident Leonard Boyd.
Residents are worried about pollution in their community.
"The chemicals they admitted, will be admitted, will be dangerous at the distances we are," said Shamika Preston. "It doesn't matter if it's teeny-weeny or a whole lot."
W.R. Grace says plant will be "safe and effective"
W.R. Grace & Co. told WJZ that the plant will not burn plastic, but will study a potentially game-changing innovation for recycling plastic that is safe and effective.
"Grace is proud to be headquartered in Howard County and to contribute to its scientific and economic legacy by conducting meaningful, safe and properly permitted R&D at our world class facility for more than 60 years," W.R. Grace said in a statement. "With this new project, we will not burn plastic, as some who misunderstand our project and our intentions have asserted. Rather, we are studying a potentially game-changing innovation for recycling plastic – a safe and effective way to solve a problem facing us all."
W.R. Grace added, "If passed, this ZRA would set a harmful precedent that would repel institutions and employers away from Howard County. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) process is designed specifically to evaluate the safety of projects like ours, and we are committed to faithfully and fully following that process."
The company says their research shows the plant could reduce energy use, improve air emissions, and help keep plastic out of landfills and oceans.
Boyd said he's not against the operation, just the location.
"There's still a danger of an explosion. and why is it so close to residential?" Boyd said. "So even if every case they are making is true, why not build it away from communities?"
Since august of 2023, W.R. Grace has been working with the Maryland Department of the Environment on permitting the plant, but MDE says they have not yet decided on approval and will be taking public comment into consideration.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Nvidia CEO dismisses Trump tariff concerns: ‘We'll work through it'
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed concerns over President Trump's tariff agenda, saying the California-based company will 'work through it' and emphasized that the U.S. needs to bolster its production of chips. 'Nobody likes disruptions and no one likes abrupt changes, but these settlements will — President Trump will settle these deals and countries will reorganize and resettle, and we'll work through it,' Huang said in an interview with USA Today published on Friday. Trump has reshuffled U.S. trade policy since returning to the White House, and he has recently notified countries about the tariff rates some will face at the start of next month. The president has alerted nations about the 'reciprocal' rate that will come into effect on Aug. 1, and some of warned of countermeasures and called for further negotiations. 'Every single year there were rules and taxes and tariffs and policies and regulations, and we survived. I have every confidence that the world is going to survive this, companies will survive this and whatever it turns out to be, we'll make the best of it,' Huang said. This week, Nvidia became the first public-traded company to hit a market capitalization above $4 trillion. Huang met with Trump at the White House the same day. The two have had five meetings since the president took office on Jan. 20, USA Today reported. Huang said on Friday that the U.S. has to manufacture more semiconductors, arguing the push will yield benefits across various sectors. 'Absolutely. I believe President Trump's vision, his bold vision to manufacture in the United States, it's great for our industries, it's great for our society,' the Nvidia head said to USA TODAY. 'We've lost a lot of manufacturing capability and skills, which is really great for skilled craft and people that work with their hands and build things,' he added. 'We want to celebrate that. We want to bring that back to the United States. It's very important to national security, industrial security, supply chain resilience.' His remarks come as a bipartisan duo, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), sent a letter to Huang this week, asking him to reconsider an upcoming visit to China over national security concerns.
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
The GameStop stapler that punctured a Nintendo Switch 2 console is now on eBay for $250,000
An innocuous black stapler became public enemy No. 1 for some New York City-based gamers after it damaged a Nintendo Switch 2 at a local GameStop in June. Now, GameStop has turned that viral mishap into a marketing opportunity: That same stapler, and some additional items, are now selling on eBay for nearly $250,000 as part of a GameStop-organized charity auction. As of Saturday, there were almost 300 bids. "Let's consider this GameStop's version of 'corporate accountability,'" a GameStop spokesperson told Business Insider. The saga — dubbed "staplegate" — began last month when the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 became available to the public. It had been a long road for fans, who were introduced to the original Nintendo Switch eight years ago and were forced to weather a tariff-related delay on the newest version of the popular gaming console. The Nintendo Switch 2 sells for $499. While many fans received their Nintendo Switch 2 orders without fuss, some said their consoles arrived damaged with puncture holes on the screen. The culprit was a lone stapler at a Staten Island GameStop used to secure the receipts to the console boxes. Although GameStop replaced the damaged consoles, the company spokesperson said it wanted to "turn the snafu into something for a good cause." The winning bidder will receive four items: a stapled Nintendo Switch 2 (now fixed), the console's box with stapler marks, the stapler, and the "carefully extracted" staple. The winner will also get a very personal item from GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen, who said in an X post on Wednesday that he'd include his underwear in the auction if bids surpassed six figures. They did. By Thursday, Cohen told his X followers that if the auction reached seven figures, he'd "fly the winner to Miami, take them to McDonald's for lunch and personally deliver my preowned underwear." The GameStop spokesperson said the decision to auction the items was a no-brainer. "It pitched itself, honestly. Once the story took off, the stapler basically demanded an agent," they said. Fortunately, tracking down the stapler wasn't difficult. "We asked nicely and it was surrendered peacefully to our social media and marketing team," the spokesperson said, adding that the response has "exceeded our expectations." All proceeds from the auction will go to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. GameStop will stop accepting bids on July 16.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Rental company files complaint against Gary Sanitary District
A Griffith-based company has filed a lawsuit against the Gary Sanitary District, challenging the organization's threats to record liens against some real estate. A Wednesday news release from Portage attorney Patrick McEuen announced that he has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Cavender Properties. The lawsuit says GSD has recorded or threatened to record a lien against properties without complying with notice requirements of Indiana law. 'So far, I have about 20 or more individuals and companies asking to be included in the class,' McEuen said in the news release. 'The court could certify a class of any and all landlords, because thus far, none of the class members received the appropriate notice to permit GSD to record a lien. Indiana law is quite specific. GSD has a (20) day window to notify a landlord of a tenant's delinquency, and the window opens when the bill goes (60) days delinquent.' The lawsuit also asks GSD to provide all documentation that the agency believes meets the notice required by Indiana code. A property lien is a legal claim by a creditor to recover an unpaid debt or obligation, according to the National Association of Realtors. The lawsuit was filed in Lake Superior Court, according to online court records. The complaint includes four counts: action for declaratory relief, cloud on title and quiet title action, preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order. The restraining order, if ordered, will stop GSD from 'unlawfully attempting to collect fees' or recording a lien against a property without compliance in the notice requirements, according to the filed complaint. A GSD representative declined to comment Thursday morning, saying in an email that the organization will comment once formal notice of the lawsuit is received. In May, multiple landlords spoke against potential liens on their properties at a GSD meeting. Executive Director Ragen Hatcher previously said an Indiana State Board of Accounts audit found the department has a 'number of outstanding bills.' Per state law, GSD has three years to either put liens on properties or make owners aware of the liens, according to Post-Tribune archives. In April, GSD sent lien notices for 2022 and sent 2023 lien notices in May. At the time, Hatcher said 2024 notices would be sent either at the end of June or beginning of July. Gary landlords expressed worries that liens will be charged to property owners rather than renters who haven't paid bills. Local attorney Darnail Lyles said at the meeting that lien notices should be given in a way that allows property owners to get money from renters who aren't paying bills.
