View "No Room to Move " Report

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today released a report, “No Room to Move:  New York City’s Impending Solid Waste Crisis,” that highlights unprecedented challenges and costs that the city will likely face due to capacity limitations at landfill disposal sites.

New York City ’s public and private sectors generate approximately 15 million tons of trash each year, with more than 10 million tons exported. The volume of putrescible waste that is exported has more than doubled since the closing of the Fresh Kills Landfill in 2001. In-state disposal facilities are unable to meet the increasing demands of the city’s needs. States such as Pennsylvania and Virginia combined absorb more than 70 percent of the city’s total waste.

New York is relying on disposal facilities that are quickly running out of space. By 2007, Pennsylvania landfills will run out of capacity to accept the city’s waste. Agencies in states that import waste are taking measures to reduce the impact of importation by imposing strict regulations on facility expansion and the creation of new landfills.

“ New York City must immediately determine the viability of creating landfills, either in-state or out-of-state, that are in the city’s control,” Thompson stated. “Recycling and waste reduction can be made cost-competitive and should be considered alternatives to waste disposal.”

A significant portion of the city’s waste is generated by the private sector. The constant competition between the public and private sectors drives up costs and reduces the city’s ability to attract new businesses. Historically, the Department of Sanitation (DOS) has not focused its efforts on an inter-modal waste export strategy to address the needs of the public and private sectors concurrently.

“The Mayor’s recent announcement of plans to begin allowing private firms to deliver some of their commercial waste to a city processing facility is a good first step,” Thompson said. “However, the Department of Sanitation needs to take full advantage of increased economies of scale by planning for all aspects of waste disposal by both the public and private sectors.”

The Comptroller’s report also shows that the use of trucks to export garbage from the city to other states has both economic and social costs. Not only is truck transportation sensitive to fuel hikes, but it has a negative impact on the public’s health and quality of life.

Comptroller Thompson issued a series of recommendations. Among them are:

• New York City should consider purchasing access to, or the development rights of, existing landfills in Upstate New York to increase in-state disposal capacity.

• New York City should partner with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to consider building new disposal capacity in New York State.

• New York City should evaluate purchasing permitted but underutilized landfills in other parts of the country near rail or water transportation to provide long-term disposal capacity for its waste.

• The DOS must plan for the short-and long-term management and disposal of all of the waste generated in New York City.

• The DOS must directly address the City’s complicated transportation logistics to increase competition to handle New York City’s waste and diversify the disposal options available to New York City.

• New York City should aggressively pursue the development of publicly controlled disposal capacity.

• The DOS should develop a series of short-, medium- and long-term disposal contracts.

• New York City should appeal to the federal government for assistance with waste reduction that is exported to other jurisdictions for final disposal.

• New York City must aggressively develop local markets for recycled materials, support a recycled manufacturing industry and develop waste prevention programs.