About this site

About This Site

Plainfield Trash Facts is a resident-run, non-partisan information project about the proposed SMART Technology Systems waste-to-energy gasification plant in Plainfield, Connecticut.¹ Every factual claim is tied first to a primary, official, or peer-reviewed source; news reporting is used only to corroborate, never as the sole support for a scientific or quantitative claim.²

This page does one thing: it states what the site is and the standard by which it selects and ranks every source. It does not re-argue the case. What is actually proposed and the technology the developer describes are set out on the Facts page; where the application stands in the permitting process is on the Where It Stands page; and the complete list of every source used across the site is in the evidence library. This page makes very few factual claims of its own, and the ones it does make are cited below.

Sourcing standard

How Every Claim Is Sourced

Accuracy is the entire purpose of this site, so the standard is stated openly and applied to every page. Sources are ranked, and for each load-bearing fact the highest tier available is cited, with independent corroboration wherever a second qualifying source exists.

The source hierarchy, strongest first

• Tier 1 — primary and peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed scientific literature, and government or regulatory primary documents: CT DEEP records, Connecticut Siting Council dockets and decisions, EPA Superfund site records, USGS publications, the Connecticut General Statutes, court opinions, and official datasets and permit documents. These come first.
• Tier 2 — technical and agency analysis. Technical and agency reports, and the analyses of established expert organizations, used to interpret the primary record.
• Tier 3 — news coverage. Reporting from Connecticut and national outlets. News is supporting only. It is never the sole support for a scientific, technical, or quantitative claim, and it is always listed last.

The rules applied to every fact

• Highest tier cited. Where a fact exists in a state or federal record, that record is the source, ahead of any news account of the same fact.
• More than one source where they exist. Key facts carry two or more independent sources, with at least one from Tier 1, so no single account has to be taken on trust.
• Both figures when the record disagrees. Where the developer’s materials and independent records give different numbers, both are shown rather than the more convenient one.
• Honest where the evidence is mixed. When the underlying research is genuinely divided or inconclusive, the site says so plainly. Null and negative findings are reported alongside positive ones, the strongest counter-position is stated rather than hidden, and a contested question is never presented as settled in either direction.
• Verified before published. Each source is read to confirm it actually states the claim. A claim that cannot be tied to a real, reachable, adequate source is left off the site.
• Reported concerns labeled as such. A worry voiced at a public meeting is presented as a reported concern, never as an established scientific finding.
• Developer figures labeled as developer figures. Company marketing is not treated as a neutral source. Where a number originates with the developer, it is taken from the developer’s own filings on the state regulatory record and labeled plainly as the developer’s stated figure, never presented as an independent finding.

Contact & corrections

Contact and Corrections

If a fact here is wrong or out of date, we want to fix it. Send a correction, a source, or a question, and it will be checked against the original record; a page is updated when the record supports the change.

Questions and answers

About This Site: Questions and Answers

What is Plainfield Trash Facts?

It is a resident-run, non-partisan information project about the proposed SMART Technology Systems waste-to-energy gasification plant in Plainfield, Connecticut. Every factual claim links first to a primary, official, or peer-reviewed source.¹²

Who runs this site?

It is run by residents of the Plainfield area. It carries no party name or candidate. You can reach the site at [email protected].

How does this site choose and rank its sources?

Primary and peer-reviewed records come first: peer-reviewed studies and government primary documents such as CT DEEP records, the Connecticut Siting Council, the Connecticut General Statutes, and the EPA. Technical and agency analyses come next, and news reporting is used last, only to corroborate. News is never the sole support for a scientific or quantitative claim.

Does every fact have more than one source?

Key facts do, wherever two independent qualifying sources exist, with at least one from the primary or peer-reviewed tier. Where only one solid source exists, one is used, and it is a primary or official record rather than a news account.

What happens when the science is mixed or contested?

The site says so plainly. Where the research is genuinely divided or inconclusive, null and negative findings are reported alongside positive ones, the strongest opposing position is stated rather than hidden, and a contested question is never presented as settled in either direction. The case rests on what the record firmly supports.

How do I report an error or suggest a correction?

Email [email protected]. Corrections are welcome and are checked against the original record before any change is made.