Miami-Dade searches for new trash incinerator site

Miami-Dade County is searching for a new place to burn its garbage after the Doral trash incinerator was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.

Why it matters: The county needs a plan for the 1 million tons of garbage the Doral facility used to burn every year.

• Building a new incinerator could cost over $1 billion and take about 10 years to complete, according to the Miami Herald.

Driving the news: County commissioners voted this week to study three proposed sites for a new plant: the former Opa-locka Airport West, the existing site in Doral and a privately-owned space near a landfill in Medley, the Herald reports.

The other side: The mayors of Doral and Miramar, which is located about a mile from the airport site, expressed concerns at the meeting over the health impacts of a new trash-burning facility in their communities, WPLG Local 10 reports.

What's next: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she expects to receive a preliminary assessment of the three sites by early 2024, including studies on potential exhaust and odors, the Herald reports.

• In the meantime, Levine Cava has said she would consider transporting garbage out of the county via cargo train.
• She also wants to expand existing contracts with landfills in Central Florida and recommends commissioners increase the height of the North Dade Landfill before it runs out of space in 2026, the Herald has reported.