Dismantle the Wheelabrator Incinerator in Claremont: A Call to Action

Claremont, NH—The people of Claremont and surrounding communities, who endured nearly 3 decades of unhealthy environmental degradation and pollution from the Wheelabrator incinerator, now face the possibility that the closed facility will reopen. Working on Waste (WOW) calls for dismantling the incinerator instead.

According to The Sullivan Report, Wheelabrator sold the incinerator on December 21 to Power Investment LLC of Farmington, NH. The reported sale price for the building, equipment, and 9 acres of land was $37,000.

In a Call to Action released today, WOW explains why dismantling the incinerator is in the best interest of Claremont and the rest of Sullivan County. The Call to Action urges the public and their elected officials to make recycling a priority and to oppose any attempt to resume incineration or any other waste processing and treatment at the Wheelabrator site.

According to WOW, “There is no need for Sullivan County to get entangled in another incinerator contract, and there is no need for Claremont to continue as a host community for the incinerator industry.”

Reb MacKenzie of Claremont’s ACTS Now citizens group agrees. “Citizens of Claremont and Sullivan County need to develop solar and wind electrical generation as envisioned in the Energy Chapter of Claremont’s Master Plan. We must oppose any plan to use incineration at the Wheelabrator site to generate electricity. Incineration creates toxic emissions and derails our development of a recycling-based and renewable energy economy.”

WOW is a citizens’ initiative that promotes safe alternatives to waste incineration. The Wheelabrator Incinerator in Claremont, NH: A Working on Waste Report documents the incinerator’s controversial history during its 26 years of operation (1987-2013).

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