During election season, parochial politics can trump sound public policy. Earlier this month Mayor Bill de Blasio—in a deal with Brooklyn Councilman Antonio Reynoso—endorsed legislation that risks destroying the city’s commercial waste system. That system currently works surprisingly well to keep the five boroughs clean and businesses’ waste recycled, despite a stunning lack of city support and constant attacks on its very existence.
Backed by the mayor at a town-hall event with the councilman in his northern Brooklyn district, Intro. 495 has languished for years without a majority of the council sponsoring it. No wonder: It would arbitrarily reduce the capacity of existing waste-processing stations below levels currently permitted by the state and the city. Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito should resist pressure for its consideration during the postelection lame-duck session and call for new negotiations with stakeholders.
The bill’s supporters say it would advance environmental justice by more evenly distributing the impacts of waste disposal. But long-promised infrastructure is finally coming on-line to do exactly that, as was intended by the Solid Waste Management Plan passed by the City Council in 2006.
In fact, last week the city opened the fifth of seven new waste-export facilities: The Hamilton Avenue marine transfer station in Brooklyn will accept 200 Department of Sanitation trucks that had delivered their loads daily to transfer stations in many of the communities this unnecessary legislation aims to help.
Some history is in order. In 2001 the city closed the Fresh Kills landfill and started bringing residential waste to commercial transfer stations for shipment to distant landfills. These stations are only allowed in industrial zones, and the city’s action increased the impact on those areas. With the city now redirecting residential waste to its marine transfer stations to be put in sealed containers and sent off by barge, Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia made good-faith efforts to negotiate a reduction in commercial transfer-station capacity. But the council rejected them. Into that void jumped environmental activists with a jerry-rigged proposal targeting waste facilities in the few places where they can operate.
The mayor’s own Department of Sanitation fears the bill could lead to a trash bottleneck when the next Superstorm Sandy or Hurricane Harvey hits. Yet de Blasio is pushing forward with no proper economic or environmental assessment, no public review and minimal discussion with the industry.
Granted, no one likes waste facilities. But their impact is regulated and less than critics’ rhetoric suggests. Gentrification has added to the never-ending NIMBY pressure on this essential infrastructure and demonized those committed to this dangerous and dirty work. But remember, the industry doesn’t generate waste. This hidden but vital sector handles what New Yorkers collectively produce—3 million tons of waste per year from restaurants, hotels, offices and stores; millions more from construction and demolition work; and nearly all of what the Sanitation Department picks up.
To read the full story, visit http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20170913/OPINION/170919963.