Covanta Delaware Valley – the nation’s largest trash incinerator
Chester, Pennsylvania is a small city south of Philadelphia and located in Delaware County. The city spans 6.1 square miles with 34,000 residents, and is also home to the largest trash incinerator in the country (Covanta), a sewage waste treatment facility and sludge incinerator (DELCORA), chemical manufacturing plants, and other polluting industries.
Over a century of systemic racism and political corruption has transformed the historic waterfront city on the Delaware River into a toxic regional waste hub and ONE OF THE WORST CASES OF ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN THE U.S.
Polluting industries have led to devastating consequences on community health and quality of life for the majority low-income black and brown community that lives in Chester. Incinerators and toxic companies target low-income areas and communities of color because they are seen as the path of least resistance.
