If this is the first time you are learning about this, you are not alone.
Covanta plans to start burning up to 20,900 tons of medical waste annually from throughout the Northeast — twice as much as Connecticut generates. The Bristol incinerator location will allow waste from New England states, as well as New York and Pennsylvania. The Covanta corporation was forced into providing a Zoom presentation to Bristol residents regarding their petition filed with the state of Connecticut, as many residents were unaware of the motion. Many Bristol residents brought their concerns and questions to Covanta, as many residents felt strongly that they were not aware of the motion. The permit was submitted to the state department with two letters of endorsement from former Mayor Ellen Sassu-Zappo. Recently, BRCA received a response from the Covanta corporation and the residents questions. (Please see the tab under Impact on Bristol for a full document.).
The Covanta corporation is involved in several litigation suits with other states’ towns and communities where they have incinerator locations. Many of these residents have viable complaints regarding noise, pollution and noxious odors from the incinerator sites, as well as breach of compliance regarding practices, protocols and procedures . Recently, Covanta corporation was acquired by a Swedish company and that merge will make the enforcement of protocols and procedures difficult to enforce. Bristol residents are divided on the issue and many are unaware of the issue at all. This group is designed to accomplish what the town government has failed to do, allow Bristol residents to gather information regarding the Covanta permit, speak their voice on the issue and decide what is best for our town.
To date, Mayor Jeffery Caggiano and Senator Henri Martin have pledged efforts to support our initiative. Mayor Caggiano is gathering information regarding the agreement with Covanta. Senator Martin is working through the surrounding communities and mobilizing support to bring environmental legislative law to the state of Connecticut.
*Next meeting City Council Meeting is Dec. 14, 2021, 7PM at City Hall*
This is a decision that will impact Bristol on many levels. It will certainly change the trajectory of our city environmentally, and will have long-term effects on the health of our residents and children, from air pollution to water supply, as well as decrease in property values surrounding the incinerator location and beyond, contingent upon the fumes and odors. If you care anything about our town, are a life-long resident or are raising a family here, you have cause for concern.
UPCOMING BRCA MEETINGS
11/22/2021 6:30PM – 8:30PM, Bristol Public Library, Meeting Rm 2
11/29/2021 6:30PM – 8:30PM, Bristol Public Library, Meeting Rm 2
12/06/2021 6:30PM – 8:30PM, Bristol Public Library, Meeting Rm 2
12/13/2021 6:30PM – 8:30PM, Bristol Public Library, Meeting Rm 3
I am a retired clinical laboratory scientist with 43 years working in hospital laboratories. I am against the burning of medical waste in Bristol. You need to ask for towns people to attend city council meetings to speak against this. In one of Ellen zoppo’s letters of support she stated she knew of no community opposition. I did not know about this until this year.
This will have a serious impact on Bristol residents, long term health effects and much more. If you care for the town of Bristol and your family We all need to be concerned.
This is horrible and the first I have heard of it. There is no benefit large enough to put our residents in harms way of inhaling toxins. This is appalling and do not want this!!! If you haven’t seen it, Jon Stewart did a report on the military personnel that were close to burnings such as these and developed serious medical issues because of it…..NO NO NO
I vote No!!! Enough is enough in Bristol!!!
This is not the way to move Bristol forward. The number of empty stores, the empty lot where once there was a successful shopping mall shows Bristol is not doing well but the answer is not to make our City a dumping site for a number of other States. The plan is repulsive and dangerous and will add dramatically to keeping our City from moving forward in a way that will benefit all residents. No other City wants such a facility with good reasons and why it is even being considered here is ridiculous. It is like a kiss of death proposal to our City I think. We can do better to get our City moving forward.