A few weeks ago, we shared details about upcoming Title V Major Source Permit renewal hearings for the Quarantine Road Landfill and the BRESCO Incinerator. You can view that blogpost here.
The first of these hearings is taking place this week on Thursday, May 14, and we are calling on community members and allies to show up and speak out at a critical public hearing on the future of the Quarantine Road Landfill (QRL).
6:00PM, Thursday, May 14
Curtis Bay Recreation Center (1630 Filbert St.)
Join residents, workers, and advocates in demanding:
- Transparency on landfill conditions and violations
- Accountability for unsafe practices
- Fair pricing and policies that don’t prioritize profit over people
- Real protections for community and worker health
Your voice matters—especially now.
For decades, Baltimore City maintained an artificially low landfill “tip fee”—making QRL about half as expensive as surrounding landfills for large commercial haulers to dump in South Baltimore. The result:
- A rapidly filling landfill
- Chronic underfunding of safe operations
- Increased risks to workers and nearby communities
- Increased profits for large waste companies
After sustained pressure and a Federal Civil Rights complaint, the City raised the tip fee from $65 to $135 per ton. This change has already cut commercial waste tonnage roughly in half. This was a major step toward dismantling policies that have made South Baltimore a sacrifice zone.
In the process, another major injustice came into focus:
BRESCO incinerator ash—the largest waste stream entering QRL—is still dumped at ~$25 per ton, likely the lowest rate in the country, pointing to ongoing structural problems that continue to prioritize industry over community health. An incredible deal for BRESCO, and a terrible deal for all of us.
Community investigations now point to likely improper disposal of this toxic ash, with practices that may prioritize cost savings over health and safety.
At the same time, state inspections have identified 15+ serious compliance and safety issues, including:
- Uncontrolled leachate outbreaks
- Contaminated stormwater discharge
- Exposed and windblown waste
- Improper handling of incinerator ash
- Landfill gas and leachate systems not properly operated
- Erosion exposing buried waste
- Standing water and vector risks
- Inadequate cover, compaction, and site stabilization
- And broader operational failures tied to understaffing and lack of equipment
Residents have repeatedly asked for transparency and answers on these issues—but have not received them. Requests to independently test the ash material have also been denied by state regulators for nearly a year.
Now, the landfill is primed to receive a new permit in the midst of these unresolved concerns. The bare minimum standard for this hearing: Will the public get clear, direct answers about these risks?
If you can’t make it to Curtis Bay on May 14, here are other ways you can participate in this urgent environmental justice action:
- Submit your written testimony before Thursday, May 21, 2026 to Shannon Heafey, MDE Title V Coordinator, by email at sh************@******nd.gov.
- Attend at our satellite site at Baltimore Unity Hall (1505 Eutaw Pl., Baltimore, MD 21217). You will have opportunity to testify from the satellite site.
- Tune in virtually to the livestream hosted by Maryland Department of the Environment. You will have opportunity to testify when called upon and share your perspective in the meeting chat. RSVP here to instantly receive the meeting link.
