Episode #1
CALL TO ACTION: Chester Needs Philadelphia’s Help: Who Pays the Price for Philly’s Trash?
In this episode of The Neoliberal Round Podcast, host Renaldo McKenzie examines the growing environmental justice battle between Philadelphia and neighboring Chester, Pennsylvania, where a significant share of Philadelphia’s municipal waste is sent to be burned at the Reworld/Covanta incinerator. After years of protests, public testimony, and appeals to Philadelphia officials, Chester environmental justice advocates are now taking their message directly to Philadelphia residents, urging them to contact City Council, oppose a new waste contract with Reworld, and support the Stop Trashing Our Air Act. The controversy raises a deeper question: Can Philadelphia call itself “clean and green” while exporting the environmental consequences of its consumption to a predominantly Black neighboring community? Renaldo explores the claims surrounding pollution and public health, Chester’s decades-long environmental justice struggle, Reworld’s response, the politics surrounding Philadelphia’s waste contracts, and the larger questions of race, class, power, and environmental inequality. As Philadelphia City Council prepares to confront the future of the city’s waste disposal, Chester residents are asking Philadelphians to stand with them. The trash may leave Philadelphia—but the consequences do not simply disappear. ️ The Neoliberal Round Podcast Hosted by Renaldo McKenzie Read the full article in The Neoliberal Post and The Neoliberal Journals at RenaldoCMcKenzie.com and TheNeoliberal.com. Contact: info@theneoliberal.com Subscribe, share, and join the conversation. The article is available in The Neoliberal Journals at https://theneoliberal.com and The Neoliberal Post https://renaldocmckenzie.com Written and narrated by Renaldo McKenzie, Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance.