The Resource Recovery Facility, operated by Reworld, burns waste to generate electricity. Supporters of the resolution argued that continuing to rely on the plant keeps disposal decisions under local control. Council President Natali Fani-González, who voted with the majority, said shipping trash elsewhere would let receiving jurisdictions "change their mind in a heartbeat," leaving the county scrambling for alternatives.

She was joined by council members Evan Glass, Sidney Katz, Shebra Evans, Kate Stewart and Dawn Luedtke in voting to modernize the facility. Council member Will Jawando, the county executive-elect, opposed the measure along with Andrew Friedson, Kristin Mink, Laurie-Anne Sayles and Marilyn Balcombe.

The vote came despite significant unanswered questions about cost and environmental impact. The county's own analysis estimates modernizing the incinerator would cost $356 million, though council staff cautioned in earlier hearings that future costs carry many uncertainties. The state of Maryland cited the facility in 2025 for exceeding emissions limits.

Balcombe, whose district includes Dickerson, said the area may be sparsely populated but that "the health of those individuals are being negatively impacted by this facility." She also warned against locking in contractual commitments without a guaranteed cost estimate.

County Executive Marc Elrich, who had urged the council in a letter to delay the vote, said he was "a little bit disappointed" by the outcome and blamed Fani-González for rushing it. Elrich has long favored closing the incinerator.

Jawando, who takes office as county executive next month, said his position has not changed. "I've said for a long time, before I joined the council eight years ago, that we need to close the incinerator, and I won't change my position today," he told colleagues.

Mink framed the choice as a dilemma with no clean answer. "There's the environmental question, and there's the cost question," she said. "Both options are bad on both counts," she added, noting that even incinerated trash leaves ash that must be disposed of.

Stewart, who supported the resolution, noted that the plant "generates enough electricity to power 27,000 homes or charge 82,000 electric vehicles for one year," and said the decision does not preclude future councils from pursuing advanced waste processing or composting.

All council members and Elrich agreed the county must find ways to reduce the waste generated by its 1.2 million residents. The resolution is nonbinding, meaning Jawando and the next council will have the opportunity to vote on the plan's details or reverse the decision once he is sworn in.

"This is an important decision," Elrich said. "Given all the other financial pressures the county's going to have, I think thinking about this carefully is really important."