Trash Talk Heats Up

A short item in today's NY Post indicates that the fight over the mayor's solid waste management plan may be about to heat up. In the report the administration is urging that the City Council pass the mayor's plan even though there is concern over the two designated Manhattan transfer stations that are being challenged legally.

The NY Sun also has a story that we just noticed that goes into more details concerning the possibility that the Council may "throw out" the mayor's plan. In yesterday's hearing at the Solid Waste Committee members whose districts encompassed the transfer stations argued that "uncertainty" of the legal actions should be enough to send everyone back to the drawing board.
Newly elected Council member Jessica Lappin remarked, "I think this is a make believe plan."

All of which underscores our arguments about waste reduction and the insufficiency of the SWMP in this crucial area. One approach, we have argued, is the use of commercial and residential food waste disposers, a methodology that has demonstrated environmental and economic efficacy in reducing the amount of waste for export.

That is why we will ask the Council to re-introduce our pilot program for disposers at the next Stated Council meeting on the 15th of the month. The initiative had the support of 35 council members last year. As part of our effort we will be bringing in Professors Ham and Diggelman, the two leading experts in the methodology, to brief the council on how disposers can become a vital component of its own SWMP alternative.