DEC RecyclingHHW Grants Breakdown

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Status of Recycling in New York State
Presented to New York State Association for
Reduction, Reuse and Recycling November
15, 2007
Val Washington
Deputy Commissioner
Office of Remediation and Materials
Management
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NYS Recycling Rates 1987-2005
48
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NYS Statewide Recycling RatesTotal recyc vs. MSW
Recyc
(Includes all recycled MSW CD Industrial
wastes)
(Includes recycled MSW i.e. metal, glass, paper,
plastic and yard waste)
Year
4
2005 Regional Recyc Rates
Reg. 4
Reg. 5
Reg. 6
Reg. 9
Reg. 7
Region 1
Reg. 2
Reg. 3
Reg. 8
(Includes all recycled MSW CD Industrial
wastes)
(Includes recycled MSW i.e. metal, glass, paper,
plastic and yard waste)
Year
5
Individual Planning Unit Success Story
Onondaga County Resource Recov. Agency
Manages recycling and SW in the Syracuse area.
OCRRA has long-standing solid commitment to
recycling, Continuously seeking new sectors to
reach out to, such as hotels/motels, schools,
yard waste generators, and private haulers.
New Bluebinit! Campaign launched March
2007 Improved Website in April 2007
www.ocrra.org Community Collection Center for
books, fluorescent bulbs, e-waste
One of the highest per capita recyclables
collection rates more than 1,500 lbs/person/year
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Individual Planning Unit Success Story
NYC Office of Recycling Outreach Education
One of the best big city recycling programs in
the world.
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More from the NYC Office of Recycling Outreach
Education
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What else is going on?

• Markets are as strong as ever, generally
• Enforcement of GML 120-aa
• Hempstead Sanitary District 1 vs. NYSDEC
• Case heard in NYS Supreme Court May 2007
• Upheld DECs long-standing interpretation that
  post-collection separation is not compatible with
  NYS Recycling Law
• Who else is not compliant with GML 120-aa?

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What else is going on?

• Automobile Dismantler Program
• SWM Facility Regulations (Part 360)
• Waste Tire Stockpile Abatement Program
• Cell Phone Stewardship Law
• Electronics Recycling Legislation/Regulation
• Mercury Reduction Program

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DEC s mission

• To conserve, improve, and protect New Yorks
  natural resources and environment, and control
  water, air, and land pollution, in order to
  enhance the health, safety and welfare of the
  people of the state and their overall economic
  and social well being. --from NYS
  Environmental Conservation Law Section 1-0101
• Relevant today as it was when established by law
  with the Departments creation in 1972.

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Commissioner Grannis Priorities

• Our goal is to create a healthy and sustainable
  New York by pursuing the following priorities

• Combat Climate Change
• Foster Green and Healthy Communities
• Connect New Yorkers to Nature
• Build a Toxic Free Future
• Safeguard New Yorks Unique Natural Assets

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Commissioner Grannis Priorities

• Foster Green and Healthy Communities
• Use DECs program areas to encourage smart growth
• Clean up contaminated land, esp. in urban centers
• Reduce local waste generation maximize
  recycling
• Promote community greening urban forestry
• Preserve open space working landscapes

• Build a Toxic Free Future
• Reduce waste and use of toxics
• Promote green alternatives technologies
• Support alternatives to the use of hazardous
  pesticides
• Promote product stewardship
• Enhance public access to information on toxics

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Commissioner Grannis Priorities

• ...each of our priorities is interrelated and
  cuts across DEC programs. Each builds on DECs
  overall mission, as well as projects that have
  been a part of DECs work for many years.

At the same time, each also responds to emerging
environmental concerns such as global warming,
dwindling open space, contamination that is
impeding economic redevelopment, the need for a
strong prevention ethic in materials and
chemicals management, and the imperative to use a
holistic approach in natural resource
management.
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What is Zero Waste?

• Zero Waste means designing and managing products
  and processes to reduce the volume and toxicity
  of waste and materials, conserve and recover all
  resources, and not burn or bury them.

The next logical step beyond the short-term goals
established for recycling. It is the cornerstone
of a sustainable materials economy. Instead of
managing waste, zero waste teaches us to manage
resources and eliminate waste.
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What is Zero Waste?

• Total Recycling and More
• A Policy, Direction, Planning Framework
• A Target, Process, Way Of Thinking
• A Paradigm Shift Waste is not inevitable
• A Design Challenge
• An Industrial Revolution from the 3Rs to the
  3Es (Efficiency, Economics, Ethics)
• A New Vision for a New Century

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Who is on their way to Zero Waste?

• State of California
• Central VT SWM Dist
• Seattle Olympia WA

• Vancouver, BC
• New Zealand
• South West Australia
• Toronto, Ontario
• Halifax, Nova Scotia
• and others

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A Zero Waste Framework for NYS

• Adopt a Zero Waste Goal
• Define objectives and policies, including
  interim goals and a target year to achieve Zero
  Waste, or darn close.
• Planning for Zero Waste
• Involve residents and businesses in planning
• Prioritize policies, incentives and programs
• Select other best practices
• Build alliances and share successes
• State and Local partners all have roles

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Key Zero Waste PoliciesPlanning

• New State Solid Waste Management Plan
• Evaluate how and where materials are discarded
• Categorize service voids and alternatives
• Identify areas for policy action
• Greater emphasize on Local SWM Planning
• About 2/3 of LSWMPs expire by 2010
• Link SW planning and facility permitting
• Outreach to all sectors
• Improved enforcement
• Food waste and organics composting

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Key Zero Waste PoliciesEducation

• Large-scale Public Education - Reach large
  numbers with simple messages
• Reuse Public Awareness Campaign - Support
  investments in reuse
• School-Based Programs - Educate students who
  educate parents
• Shopper Campaigns - Reach consumers while making
  product choices
• Neighborhood-Based Education - Supplemental
  educational force
• Targeted Campaigns - Reach key constituencies for
  program success
• Evaluation and Research - Inform all education
  work ensures investments achieve goal
• University-Based Education Programs - Provide
  supply of trained professionals for zero waste
  programs

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Key Zero Waste PoliciesEnforcement

• Residential
• Agency and Institutional
• Commercial
• Transportation
• Facility Operations

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Key Zero Waste PoliciesProduct Stewardship

• Extended Producer Responsibility
• Manufacturers take fiscal or physical
  responsibility for their products and packaging
• Bottle Bill is a current example
• Cell phone law passed in 2006
• Critical for managing electronic waste
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
• Use purchasing power to create incentives for
  clean production

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Key Zero Waste PoliciesFinancial and Legislative

• End Subsidies for Wasting
• Support state and federal policies to enhance
  Zero Waste, reduce subsidies, and level the
  playing field
• Adopt policies and economic incentives to reduce
  wasting in
• Ordinances
• Contracts and franchises
• Permits and zoning
• General Plans
• Garbage rate structures

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Why do we need Zero Waste?

• MSW is the tip of the iceberg
• For every ton of MSW 71 tons are generated
  Upstream

Despite tremendous effort and success, recycling
alone is not stemming the tide of waste. Recovery
is increasing, but so is waste generation.
Source EPA, MSW in the US. 2005 Facts and
Figures
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Can we really do Zero Waste?

• In 2004, the California Integrated Waste
  Management Board adopted a zero waste goal for
  2020.
• 143 jurisdictions in CA exceed a 50 interim
  waste diversion goal.
• No state has worse budget situation than CA - yet
  their accomplishments in the waste arena lead the
  nation
• San Francisco adopted zero waste goal for 2020,
  with interim goal of 75 diversion by 2010.
• Rolling out large scale organics composting
• collects food and other organics
• delivers to a farm where composted
• Four Course Compost sells for 8-10 per yard
  as soil amendment
• Recyclables delivered to state-of-the-art
  processing facility
• developed by NorCal Waste Systems
• on land owned by City Dept. of Ports and Trade
• with financing from City economic development
  office
• Programs financed through Pay-as-You-Throw
• 68 diversion rate currently

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What to watch for..

• State Solid Waste Mgmt. Plan
• Including a Zero Waste Framework
• 6 NYCRR Part 360 revisions
• Consideration of waste disposal bans
• Statewide PSA Campaign
• www.nyrecycles.org