Why now?
Recent events - flooding from Hurricane Ida, excessive street litter and rats, the importance of public space during Covid - have led many people to realize that NYC’s current waste collection system needs to be improved. As the city is becoming denser, there is simply not enough room on some sidewalks to fit all the bags of trash and recycling.
Are you suggesting that the city should compost all of its organic waste within the city?
No, we are suggesting that all NYC soils should be regenerated with compost. We would like the city to follow a model like Battery Park City or Domino Park, where the horticultural staff run composting operations, and take as much food waste as they need to create enough compost to maintain their park, so stormwater soaks into healthy soils which make plants and trees healthy. But even with drastic reductions in wasted food, there will still likely be more than the city’s soils can use. Other food waste processing equipment, like anaerobic digestion or dry aerobic bio-digesters can then transform food waste into biogas, fertilizer or animal feed that can be returned to the regional farm system. The use of organic waste equipment in large buildings also reduces the odors, weight and volume of food waste, making it easier to handle and transport.
How can NYC use containers instead of bags when it doesn't have any back alleys?
There are many cities that don't have alleys and use containers rather than bags - Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, London - to name a few. The best solutions won't be the same in all neighborhoods, some are well suited for shared containers in the street. In high density neighborhoods DSNY will need to collect waste more frequently so buildings have enough space to store wheeled 2 cubic yard containers which they can bring straight to the truck. If DSNY start by adding hoists to their trucks so they can offer collection of containers, many buildings will likely use them as it is a more efficient and hygienic way to manage waste. Some developers are already designing their residential buildings for containers, and paying extra for private hauler pick up, as they find it so much better for staff, the sidewalk and the neighborhood. See Avalon Bay case study. The city could also require new buildings to be designed to use 2 CY containers. Lastly a Save-As-You-Throw system would be easier to implement with containers.
Have other cities managed to implement these strategies?
Yes! Check out the many case studies in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, easily searchable here.
Why now?
Recent events - flooding from Hurricane Ida, excessive street litter and rats, the importance of public space during Covid - have led many people to realize that NYC’s current waste collection system needs to be improved. As the city is becoming denser, there is simply not enough room on some sidewalks to fit all the bags of trash and recycling.
Are you suggesting that the city should compost all of its organic waste within the city?
No, we are suggesting that all NYC soils should be regenerated with compost. We would like the city to follow a model like Battery Park City or Domino Park, where the horticultural staff run composting operations, and take as much food waste as they need to create enough compost to maintain their park, so stormwater soaks into healthy soils which make plants and trees healthy. But even with drastic reductions in wasted food, there will still likely be more than the city’s soils can use. Other food waste processing equipment, like anaerobic digestion or dry aerobic bio-digesters can then transform food waste into biogas, fertilizer or animal feed that can be returned to the regional farm system. The use of organic waste equipment in large buildings also reduces the odors, weight and volume of food waste, making it easier to handle and transport.
How can NYC use containers instead of bags when it doesn't have any back alleys?
There are many cities that don't have alleys and use containers rather than bags - Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, London - to name a few. The best solutions won't be the same in all neighborhoods, some are well suited for shared containers in the street. In high density neighborhoods DSNY will need to collect waste more frequently so buildings have enough space to store wheeled 2 cubic yard containers which they can bring straight to the truck. If DSNY start by adding hoists to their trucks so they can offer collection of containers, many buildings will likely use them as it is a more efficient and hygienic way to manage waste. Some developers are already designing their residential buildings for containers, and paying extra for private hauler pick up, as they find it so much better for staff, the sidewalk and the neighborhood. See Avalon Bay case study. The city could also require new buildings to be designed to use 2 CY containers. Lastly a Save-As-You-Throw system would be easier to implement with containers.
Have other cities managed to implement these strategies?
Yes! Check out the many case studies in the Zero Waste Design Guidelines, easily searchable here.