Damming the Waste Stream
December 18, 1999
Remarks by Marjorie J. Clarke, Ph.D.
Chair, Waste Prevention Committee, MCSWAB
The History of Waste Prevention in NYC -- The Highlights
1988 -- Waste Prevention Committee, MCSWAB
- Tellus' report for MCSWAB includes Waste Prevention (WP) initiatives
- NYS Solid Waste Management Act - 8-10% WP goal for 1997
1990 -- Talking stage. Brendan Sexton -- Uncycling, NRDC/INFORM Blueprint
1991 -- Waste Prevention committee's 60 WP recommendations make it into SWM Plan Appendix of 1992. Consultants prepare similar list for DOS Plan appendix.
1992 -- Solid Waste Management Plan (4 yrs of plan)
Potential for Waste Prevention in NYC, Year 2000 -- over 8% overall
Monetary Savings and Environmental Impacts Avoided by Instituting Waste Prevention Recommendations promised in 1992 SWM Plan
The proposed residential prevention program is expected to produce reductions in NYC's waste stream of about 4% in 1995, and of about 7% by the year 2000, when the program would be fully implemented. In the year 2000, this would amount to approximately 600,000 tons a year.
The "avoided costs" to the City's waste-management system due to these reductions are estimated to be $87 to $92 million in the year 2000, or $700 to $800 million cumulatively between 1992 and 2010 (in 1992 dollars).
On the collection side, a reduction of 600,000 tons a year would reduce collection costs by $26 to $29 million in the year 2000 (because the number of truckshifts would be reduced by 4 to 5%). Vehicle miles traveled would be reduced by 1.6 million miles per year: a 3% decrease, which would reduce vehicular air emissions by a comparable amount.
On the processing side, a reduction of 600,000 tons a year would reduce facility capital and operating costs by $58 to $60 million; require 750 million fewer gallons of water a year for rinsing recyclables (by generators) and 100 to 200 million fewer gallons of water in waste-processing facilities; reduce air emissions from recycling facilities by about 5%, from waste-to-energy facilities by 6% or 7%, from landfills by 18 to 22%, and from ashfills by 6-7%; reduce facility acreage requirements by about 14 acres; demands on landfill capacity by about 15%, and ashfill capacity by about 8%.
The estimated cost of a partial prevention program (for backyard composting and public education) is $20 per ton in the year 2000, while the full avoided cost would be on the order of $140 to $150 per ton. Waste Prevention programs could cost as much as $120 to $130 per ton before costs would exceed benefits.
Prevention programs become increasingly cost-effective as prevented percentages increase. The reason for this is that larger prevented tonnages allow relatively greater reductions in truck shifts and facility capacity; conversely, when reductions are smaller, fewer savings are captured through reduced collection and facility costs.
List of uncompleted milestones of 1992 Plan (would have met '97 goal):
-- Seek EPA funding for pilot QBUF residential program
-- Develop City procurement guidelines re purchase of reusable products and pkg restrictions
-- Develop pilot for reuse center
-- Expand educational outreach on WP (claims staff of 24 for this)
commercial and institutional waste
-- Pursue legislation: 1) Signs in retail stores discouraging bags
2) to provide economic incentives to businesses that produce & consumers who acquire products that prevent waste
-- Pursue legislation to promote durability and WP through product stewardship (take back)
Main Recommendations of DOS' consultants:
QBUF, ADF, Grasscycling to achieve 8% waste prevention
1995 -- Intro. 509 on waste prevention purchasing introduced; hearing held
--- Co-authored by EDF, NRDC, MCSWAB
1996 -- SWM Plan update --
1996 - Mayoral Directive (Giuliani) -- Laid out in 1992 Plan.
Office waste prevention practices; task force. No report, little info
1997 -- Comes and goes -- WP goal not mentioned. DEC has backed away from it.
-- Five borough task force reports, and Council Task Force.
1998 -- SWM Plan Update: 6 milestones. Only 1 (Hotline) deals with residential WP;
-- Recycle-A-Bicycle (vocational repair training)
-- The rest deal with business waste prevention.
-- WP Committee continues to make recommendations on planning, budgets
-- Introduction of Intro.482 (co-authored by Waste Prevention committee)
Quantity-Based User Fees (QBUF) -- 5,000 communities in US; EPA says this reduces waste generation and increases recycling
DOS thwarted CUNY/Hi-Rise Recycling's bid to get NYSERDA funding to demonstrate tech feasibility of QBUFs in High Rise apt. buildings
1999 -- WP Comm recommended expansion of Recycle A Bicycle to other durables. (
Read)Waste Prevention measurement: Called for in '92 plan. Part of SAIC research.
DOS is years late w/it. Report may never be released. Millions of $
Recent presentations by EPA, Tellus at NRC Conferences.
--Methodologies Developed for national and state WP, and
--Some other methods developed and under development to show
effectiveness of waste prevention programs
2000 -- Solid Waste management Plan Modification -- need to watch
Budgets: Rough figures: $300 M for Collection; $150 M for export, $50 M for recycling;
but only $1-2 M for WP. But figures are hard to determine; they're lumped in with recycling.
What can we do now?