Tell the US Treasury: No Subsidies for Waste Incinerators

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    Burning Trash is Not a Climate Solution

    Burning trash emits toxic air pollution, subjects local communities to adverse health impacts and perpetuates an unsustainable take-make-waste material economy. Now, with millions of dollars in federal funding available for real climate solutions, we can’t let dirty waste incinerators greenwash their way into getting a cut.

    Tell the US Treasury: don't provide climate subsidies or bailouts for polluting waste incinerators!

    This form allows you to easily submit a message to the federal public comment portal.


    The Inflation Reduction Act has been touted as a huge “climate bill”, but millions of dollars of taxpayer funds could be spent on corporations running dirty incinerators that prop up a system of consumption and waste.

    Right now, the US Treasury is deliberating on what industries can apply for a “zero-emissions” tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act, potentially opening up millions of dollars in subsidies to incinerators to renew their operations. 

    In order to appeal to federal subsidies, waste incinerators have rebranded as “waste-to-energy” facilities. This is greenwashing. Parent corporations are claiming incineration is sustainable, as they ignore the toxic air pollution that burning trash creates and the communities that are forced to grapple with the consequences.

    In reality, incinerators consume more energy than they produce, as waste material is a poor feedstock for burning. Incinerators emit a striking 68% more greenhouse gasses per unit of energy than coal plants.

    Our latest mini documentary, Burning Injustice, is a testament to the lived experience of communities who live near incinerators. 80% of the waste incinerators in the US are located in low-income and/or communities of color – a product of historic redlining. These communities are oftentimes already overburdened with industrial chemicals and are further exposed to incinerators that produce fine particulate matter, heavy metals, dioxins, NOx, VOC and other known carcinogens. 

    A generation of aging waste incinerators are reaching their end-of-life, providing an opportunity to move towards better “zero-waste” policies that generate less waste. Waste incinerators are an enormous impediment to change: once established, they create powerful incentive structures to ‘feed the beast’. Contracts between municipalities and incinerators often establish financial penalties for failing to produce sufficient waste, thereby ‘locking in’ a wasteful system.

    Waste incineration is a relic of the 20th century. No new waste incinerator has been built this century.

    This Administration must not hand out a financial lifeline to dirty incinerators. Take action now and tell the US Treasury – no subsidies for waste incinerators!


    What does it feel like to live near an incinerator that burns trash?

    Burning Injustice is a powerful short documentary that follows the inspiring journey of Latino activists, John Mataka and Bianca Lopez, as they expose the toxic pollution and devastating health consequences of one of the last trash incinerators in California in an effort to close the facility once and for all. Through their unwavering determination, they call for environmental justice and a safer future for their community and loved ones.