That's a strawman. The argument is not about the fact that there are chemical plants in cancer alley at all, it's about practices in chemical plants. Dumping

That's a strawman. The argument is not about the fact that there are chemical plants in cancer alley at all, it's about practices in chemical plants. Dumping waste is not a necessary result of producing chemicals. Green chemistry[1] designs systems and reactions that don't produce waste. This can be as simple as reusing water or as complex as alternative reactions (as is the case for making nylon without nitric acid). In some cases green chemistry can even save money. You can also collect and use waste for other purposes or put it into long term storage eg using it as a filler in concrete. There is practically no such thing as useless waste, only coordination problems. The only "problem" here is stopping people/companies from dumping into the ground and water. [1]: https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry https://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry