The Oil Drum: Local | Independent Recycling Office for NYC

Independent Recycling Office for NYC

Posted by Glenn on July 18, 2006 - 8:44am in The Oil Drum: Local
Topic: Demand/Consumption
Tags: new york city, oil, peak oil, recycling, reduce, reuse, trash, waste [list all tags]

It seems the city council is close to approving the final waste management plan for NYC. Within the NY Times article, there is an interesting idea of carving out waste reduction and recycling from the Department of Sanitation.

In the past, the sanitation department has been a reluctant steward of the program, arguing so effectively against it that in 2002 the mayor suspended the pickup of glass jars and bottles, and the following year reduced recycling collection to a bimonthly schedule.
The full recycling program was restored in 2004, but sanitation officials still grumbled that it costs far more to have a crew picking up recyclables than to simply haul everything to a landfill.

Just pathetic! I knew the Sanitation Department was narrowmindedly focused on moving trash, but I did not realize that they would actively work against programs that might actually REDUCE the amount they had to collect! This is where a new independent office would exactly help.

From the NY Times article it seems specifics are getting ironed out right now:

Proponents of an independent recycling office said it was essential for the city in the long run to reduce the amount of trash that is ultimately sent to out-of-state landfills.
"We need to reduce our waste exports," said Jean Halloran, director of food and sustainability issues at Consumers Union, which is part of the Zero Waste citizens campaign for reduction of the waste produced in the city. "Those waste exports are costing the city $300 million a year, and those costs are only going to go up," she said.
Mr. McMahon said there was general agreement to move oversight of the recycling program from the Department of Sanitation to the Council on the Environment, which advises the mayor on environmental policy. The amount of staff and a budget for the new office are still under discussion.

If this moves over to CENYC, the folks that also handle the greenmarket system and many other good environmental programs I hope they give them the right type of staff and power to make a dent in the $300 million export bill (which will only increase with energy prices), not to mention the improved environment in NYC and beyond.

Reducing unnecessary waste has a cascade effect on many other issues including the unnecessary production and transportation of those goods in the first place!