Residents across the region gather for 6th Annual Environmental Justice March in Chester, PA

May 5, 2026

Residents across the region gather for 6th Annual Environmental Justice March in Chester, PA

May 2, 2026 – Chester, PA. –

On Saturday May 2, residents from the City of Chester, Delaware County and the region joined forces with Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) to host their 5th annual Environmental Justice (EJ) March from Chester City Hall to Covanta, now Reworld, trash incinerator. The event is to generate awareness of the issues of pollution from the nation’s largest trash incinerator and other industries that have dire impacts on the health of residents in the city and across the county, including those new proposed projects like a liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal on the Delaware River.

This year has been of significant importance because of the introduction of the Stop Trashing Our Air Act, a bill presented by Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier that would ban the City of Philadelphia from incinerating its trash. One-third of the waste burned at Covanta/Reworld is from Philly.

This year was dedicated to Sister Nora Nash and the families of Eddie Lee Boyd and Janice Cook. The march was led by Positive Movement drumline from Philadelphia and brought out people of all ages including many members of CRCQL’s youth leadership group CHOICES and C4 (Campus Coalition Concerning Chester). Over 12 different organizations attended the march including 4 Circles Beyond, Jawala Scouts, Health Educated, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Earthquaker Action Team, Sisters of St. Francis, Climate Action PA, Good Energy Collective, Trinity House, 215 People’s Alliance, Sierra Club, Put People First PA, Sierra Club and more. There were also students from different local colleges and high schools, including Swarthmore College, Westtown School and Haverford College.

Protesters carried signs addressing the issues of pollution over people and called on leaders to prioritize residents’ health. This year featured banners honoring loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and other pollution-related health issues. With the closing of Crozer Hospital, Chester residents have little to no local healthcare despite being exposed to the most pollutants in Delaware County.

Children in Chester are 5 times as likely to have asthma, a respiratory condition that makes it difficult to breathe. There is no doubt this is due to the dozens of industries polluting the environment in Chester. The trash incinerator alone burns nearly 3,500 tons of trash and industrial waste every day without the amount of pollution controls that other facilities require. The pollutants released include dioxins, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and more – all of which have serious health consequences. Of course, the pollutants emitted from the incinerator don’t stay in one place or one town.

The existing pollution and industries that are already causing unsafe environments for residents of Chester and beyond, more dirty proposals are on the table. Chester is one of the proposed locations for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal; this project would require massive infrastructure that not only would threaten the region with explosive harm and pollution, but it would also disrupt and pollute cities and towns across PA with the pipelines that it would require for LNG transport. To learn more about how you can support clean air and healthy communities in Chester City and Delaware County, visitChesterPaEJ.org.