Waste incinerator back in plans for Miami-Dade. Here are 5 takeaways

Here’s a quick summary of the situation around Miami-Dade’s plan for a new waste incinerator. The county agreed to move forward with building a modern facility, but the location is still undecided and controversial.

FULL STORY: Miami-Dade gets back on track to build waste incinerator. But where?

• Miami-Dade needs a new incinerator because the old one burned down and landfills are running out of space. The plan is for a cleaner, waste-to-energy facility.
• Several previously suggested sites have been ruled out due to backlash from local communities and high-profile neighbors, including the old Doral location.
• There’s uncertainty over what land is still available for the new plant, and the only notable alternative, a 65-acre swap, isn’t moving forward right now.
• Some officials suggested placing the facility in a remote government-owned area, but that would likely face strong legal and environmental challenges.
• Many environmental groups oppose any new incinerator, pushing for composting instead, but large-scale composting is not yet legal in the county — though efforts to change that are underway.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Miami Herald journalists.

This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 1:41 PM.