Giannino, Turco Host Meeting on Permitting of WIN Waste Ash Landfill Site

State Reps. Jessica Giannino and Jeffrey Turco went all-in on their informative meeting and question-and-answer session to discuss the future permitting of the Saugus-based WIN Waste ash landfill site and WIN Waste reaching its capacity.

Local, regional, state, and federal officials joined Giannino, sole moderator of the forum, as Turco participated via Zoom from his home due to a case of COVID.

The meeting was covered by Revere and Winthrop cable television stations and local newspapers.

Giannino introduced Turco and the other officials in attendance including Ward 5 Councillor Al Fiore, Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri, School Committee member John Kingston, Saugus Town Meeting members Peter Delios, Peter Manoogian, and Carla Scuzzarella, and Chief of Staff Kim Hanton, who represented Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo’s Office at the meeting.

“We’re here tonight to talk to you about what’s going on in terms of the facility and what happens life after Wheelabrator,” said Giannino.

Turco thanked the attendees and stated that, “I’m sorry I can’t be with you. I tested positive for COVID yesterday [April 4], so I have to quarantine.”

Turco stressed the importance of the issue of “what happens when the landfill reaches capacity and what happens when the landfill closes.”

Loretta LaCentra, who for the past 38 years she has lived a half-mile from the landfill site, told the assemblage, “We’ve been told on multiple occasions that the landfill would be closing. In 1996, it was scheduled to close, because it posted a danger to people’s health and the environment. Here we are fast forward twenty-six years later, and we’re still trying to understand why this landfill remains open. With the landfill approaching a point where it will be at its full height of five stories high within the next few years, we’re once again being promised a closure date. I’m pleased that MassDEP has stated that they will not support any further expansion of the ash landfill.”

Giannino called upon Kirstie Pecci, a graduate of Harvard Law School who works with the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF).

“She’s an incredible advocate,” said Giannino. “I don’t think there’s anyone who knows more about incinerators or this process than Kirstie.”

Pecci lived up to Giannino’s high praise, explaining that the group, Zero Waste Project which is part of CLF, focuses on “not only stopping dangerous incinerators and landfilling, but also composting and solutions, bottle bills – all the stuff that really solves these problems.”

Giannino concluded the forum by thanking residents for attending the meeting and pledging to continue to work diligently on environmental issues. She called the forum “a productive conversation.”

“I really want to thank my colleagues in government, my friends and neighbors for being here tonight,” said Giannino, calling the forum and discussions with MassDEP “a very productive conversation.”