New York Rural Water Association

Every 10 years the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is required to update the State's Solid Waste Management plan. They recently published their 1999 - 2000 Update and it is available at all DEC Regional Offices and on their website. Since reading government reports is often like taking sleeping pills, I thought we'd try to condense it and highlight some of their more interesting conclusions. Some of the baseline data revealed that New York State residents, institutions, and businesses generated about 29.7 million tons of solid waste (excluding biosolids) in 1998. This data also showed that New Yorkers recycled 12.6 million tons of this waste in that same year, or 42% of the total waste stream. Waste-to - Energy: 10 municipal solid waste-to-energy facilities were reported operating within the state. These facilities processed approximately 3.7 million tons of waste and reduced it to about .9 million tons of ash. That process generated 2.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough electricity to power over 220,000 homes for one year. Also, two WTE facilities generate and sell steam to local industry. American Ref-Fuel in Niagara County sells its steam to Occidental Chemical Corporation and Oswego sells to Armstrong World Industries. Landfills: At the end of 1998 there were 140 landfills in New York State. 28 of these accepted municipal solid waste, 21 accepted non-hazardous industrial waste, 4 of these landfills were for waste-to-energy ash only, and 87 were for construction and demolition waste. Of the 28 municipal solid waste landfills, 23 have double composite liners, 2 have a double liner system, 2 have a single liner, and 1 (Fresh Kills in NYC that will close in 2001) has no liner. In 1999, approximately 470,000,000 gallons of leachate were collected from active MSW, C & D debris, ash and industrial waste landfills in the state. Undoubtedly, had this collection system not been in place, some of this leachate may have seeped into groundwater and contaminated drinking water. The report states that leachate collection and monitoring protect billions of gallons of the State's water resources. Landfill gas-to-energy projects also play a role in New York States solid waste management. In 1999 there were 13 of these facilities operating in the State and they generated 282 million kilowatt hours of electricity. In addition, Fresh Kills produced approximately 673 million cubic feet of pipeline quality gas. Biosolids Management: In 1998, approximately 358,000 dry tons of biosolids were generated in NYS. Disposal methods are as follows: 51% - beneficial use (composting and land application is included in this category), 31% - incinerated, 17% - landfilled, 1% - other means. Interestingly, New York City recycles all of the biosolids they generate at their 14 sewage treatment facilities. Over 300 dry tons/day are recycled through a number of private contractors. The City uses a comprehensive program that includes composting, heat drying, chemical stabilization, and direct land application. The finalized products are used for fertilizers and soil conditioners in numerous states throughout the country. Waste Exportation: New York State has steadily increased the exportation of solid waste to other parts of the country. In 1988 we exported 1.1 million tons of waste, in 1998 we exported 4.1 million tons. With the closure of Fresh Kills in NYC during 2001, this number should increase substantially. Recycling: It was estimated that 12.55 million tons of solid waste were recycled in 1998. 7.42 million tons were recycled by local municipalities, 1.63 million tons were reported recycled by the American Forest and Paper Association as waste paper exports, 2.79 million tons were recorded as part of the beneficial use program, the Port Authority of NY and NJ exported .49 million tons of scrap metal, and .22 million tons were recycled through the States beverage container redemption program. Those numbers have increased drastically from the 2 million ton total that we recycled in 1988. Waste Tires: Approximately 15 to 20 million waste tires are generated in NYS every year. DEC has identified 116 unpermitted and unregistered waste tire stockpiles within our borders. It is estimated that they contain over 23,000,000 waste tires. They have been working with NYSDOT and the Empire State Development Office on projects that could use waste tires as road bank embankment fill. Over 270,000 waste tires have been committed to these pilot projects. New York State Waste Stream Composition: The waste we produce is broken down by the following percentages: Paper & Paperboard - 39%, Glass - 5%, Metals - 5%, Plastics - 8%, Yard Waste - 9%, Food Waste - 11%, Other - 23%.

Conclusions: This report concludes that New York State should be able to meet disposal needs through existing in-state landfills, WTE capacity, and waste exportation out of state. It states that there will be increasing dependence on the private sector for solid waste management services through 2003. It recognizes that industry consolidations, the buying out of local collection companies by mid-sized regional haulers with transfer station capacity, and the loss of flow control is affecting solid waste management in New York State. It also realizes that the municipal facilities current need to compete with privately owned companies is forcing reduced tipping fees. In turn, ancillary solid waste programs (recycling, household hazardous waste collection, etc.) historically funded at the local level by these tipping fees, are being cut back, and in some cases, eliminated.