Soliciting proposals from incineration and composting companies may force Carroll's commissioners to develop a long-range solid waste disposal strategy, but don't count on it. Clearly, Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown wants his colleagues to make a decision this year, but it may be a Herculean task. The three can't agree on the disposal technology that is most suitable for Carroll County.
For three years, Commissioner Donald I. Dell has urged the county to build a waste-to-energy incinerator. Mr. Brown opposes an incinerator and favors a county composting plant (even though Baltimore, Howard and Anne Arundel counties are finalizing details on a joint composting project -- and possibly could accommodate Carroll).
Commissioner Richard T. Yates needs time to acquaint himself with the issue. He has yet to publicly announce which waste disposal technology he favors but says he doesn't mind incineration as long as it is done outside the county.
Until at least two commissioners agree, Carroll won't have a solid waste disposal strategy. Because virtually all aspects of solid waste -- from collection to disposal -- are politically volatile, it may turn out to be easier to delay any commitment.
Receiving specific proposals from contractors may only complicate the decision-making. Once the large multinational waste disposal companies submit their plans to the county, the commissioners will have to contend with the specific proposals. They will also have to answer some of the issues that a citizens' committee raised, but never answered, last year.
The committee's report was shelved because it did not reach Mr. Dell's preordained conclusion that waste-to-energy is best. Nevertheless, it framed some fundamental issues that must be addressed.
Still unresolved is the degree to which Carroll should participate in regional disposal efforts. If Carroll wants to go it alone, the commissioners must decide the plant's size and method for financing its construction. Disposing of toxic byproducts is another thorny issue.
It is possible that others could decide Carroll's course. If the other Baltimore metropolitan jurisdictions ever agree on a regional solid waste disposal strategy that is cost-effective and politically palatable, Carroll could -- and should -- be a part of it.