For the second time in recent months, one of three boilers at Montgomery County’s Dickerson incinerator has been shut down after emitting levels of pollutants in excess of state limits, according to Montgomery County officials. 

The Dickerson facility has been in operation since 1995. County officials have said the facility — operated by Reworld, a New Jersey-based company — processes approximately 60,000 tons of waste each year.  

In a Friday statement, the county Department of Environmental Protection said compliance tests of the facility’s Unit 2 found the average levels of dioxins and furans emitted from the boiler were 226% above the state permitted limit. 

Dioxins and furans are a group of toxic chemical compounds regulated by the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the EPA, dioxins and furans are linked to several negative health outcomes including cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system and hormonal changes.   

The statement from the county environmental protection department said the compliance tests for Unit 2 were conducted Dec. 22 and 25. Reworld did not receive preliminary results from the December compliance tests until Jan .13. The test results were confirmed Feb. 12. 

Reworld told county officials that Unit 2 was taken offline Jan. 4 for “major refurbishment,” according to the county’s statement. After receiving the preliminary test results for Unit 2, the company performed additional maintenance inspections and repairs to address the cause of the emissions issue. The statement did not specify the cause. 

“The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) takes the health and safety of residents very seriously,” the statement said, adding the department has requested “detailed information” from Reworld and the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (NMWDA) in Baltimore, which owns the facility.  

The department has also “tasked an expert health risk assessor” with evaluating the potential impacts of the recent emissions exceedance, the statement said. The department plans to share the assessor’s findings with the public as soon as they become available. 

In a Friday statement to Bethesda Today, Reworld spokesperson Linda Ribakusky said inspections of Unit 2 identified “a tear in a piece of air pollution control equipment, which may have contributed to the anomalous result.” She added that the company “conducted a full analysis” of the affected boiler and the facility’s air pollution controls. 

“Repairs to the air pollution control equipment are ongoing. We project Unit 2 compliance testing in late March to confirm emissions are within permitted limits,” Ribakusky said. “We remain in close communication with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Maryland Department of the Environment.” 

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of the Environment, which enforces state limits on air pollutants and radiation, did not immediately respond to emailed questions from Bethesda Today on Friday afternoon. 

Earlier violation

Unit 2 is the second boiler at the Dickerson facility to be taken offline after violating state pollutant limits in recent months.  

On Nov. 7, the facility’s Unit 3 was taken offline after September compliance tests found levels of dioxins and furans from the boiler that were 83% above the state limit.  

A subsequent round of tests on Feb. 2 showed Unit 3 was back in compliance, according to the county environmental protection department. The facility’s Unit 1 is scheduled for testing on Feb. 26 and 27, with results expected 10 days after testing is completed. 

County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has long advocated for the closure of the Dickerson incinerator. The county in 2024 decided to extend its contract with Reworld as it explores more sustainable waste disposal options. 

“Burning our trash does not align with county goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the incinerator is not clean,” Elrich said during his weekly virtual media briefing Wednesday. He did not mention the most recent emissions issue during the briefing.  

Elrich said Wednesday he plans to hold three open houses next month to discuss the future of waste disposal in the county.  

The open houses will be March 2 at the Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown; March 4 at the Isiah “Ike” Leggett Executive Office Building in Rockville; and held virtually on March 5. All three open houses are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.