COLUMBIA, Md. — A plastic recycling project is officially on its way to Columbia.
It's a project some people have been fighting against for almost two years.
"We were really disappointed," Shamieka Preston said.
A plastic recycling project is receiving some pushback, hear from one Howard County resident who is hoping a different outcome
Despite many petitions and protests from some Columbia neighbors, the Maryland Department of the Environment gave W.R. Grace the go-ahead for its recycling pilot plan.
This pilot project is a research initiative by Grace scientists to study a new technology for recycling plastic in a lab.
MDE says it determined that the proposed installation would not cause violations of any applicable air pollution control regulations.
The news came as a shock to Preston, who lives right behind Grace's facility and is a co-facilitator with the Stop Grace Coalition.
She said she's long worried that the company's pilot plan will release harmful chemicals into the air.
"It's a little outrageous that even though they had hundreds of comments from not just Cedar Creek neighbors, but from folks all across Howard County. They had commentary from advocacy groups, different levels of government," she told WMAR-2 News, "Even though we didn't have any sway, you'd think that maybe the elected officials have some sway."
A Grace spokesperson sent WMAR-2 News a statement saying in part, "We can say with confidence that this project is safe for our local community and our employees who work at the facility every day."
They added that the facility may run less frequently than estimates suggest.
MDE's decision comes about two years after Grace applied for a permit to construct.
Then community members were able to submit written comments and attend meetings to voice their concerns.
"I am not a scientist, so I can't say if their process is valid or not. I can't say if they're working within seven deviation points from the mean - I don't know. What I do know is that there were a lot of concerns that were not addressed in their response and I appreciate that they tried."
Grace also said the Maryland Department of the Environment reviewed the project using those higher estimates and confirmed that it meets public health, safety, and environmental protection standards.
Preston believes concerns about no cap on the number of years for the plan, a lack of an emergency plan, and noise pollution were glossed over.
Grace told us it'll follow all local noise ordinances and will continue to do so with the operation of this research equipment.
Shamieka said MDE's decision isn't the end.
"We will be appealing, we have 30 days to do it."
She also called on Howard County officials to act.
"Let's get it right this time. We don't have to make this a done deal, we can do the right thing."
Grace expects to have the research unit operational later this year.
