Waste Management in New York City

a brief and incomplete introduction

Urban metabolism

Over 250,000 deliveries per day Almost 38,000 delivery trucks per

daySource: United States Department of Transportation, “Integrative Freight Demand Management In The New York City Metropolitan Area”, September 30, 2010

provisioning New York City: 2008 statistics (such as they are)

Incoming: 142,597,000 tons per year Outgoing 119,507,000 tons per yearSource: U.S. Commodity Flow Survey (Domestic Freight)

the moment of consumption

the moment of consumption

In total: approximately 12 million tons per year – 5.5 million tons going to disposal; 6.5 million

“diverted” from disposal

Different types of waste from different types of “generators”

• Residents and public institutions (serviced by Department of Sanitation– Including public works projects (asphalt, demolition)

• Commercial entities (serviced by over 200 different private carting companies)– Offices, shops, restaurants, etc.– Construction and demolition, excavation

• Parallel and separate systems• Different waste streams, degrees of information,

composition, quantity, destinations, and outcomes

Biggest Possible View

* Commercial tonnages estimated based on self-reported data, preliminary for FY11

~ 12 million tonsCitywide diversion rate of 54%

Commercial Pu-trescible

Commercial C&D/Fill

DSNY-Managed -

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

other diversion (tires and abandoned autos)

inert diversion

textiles/hhw/e-waste (too small to be visible)

traditional recycling (paper/cardboard and MGP)

leaf/yard/food

disposed

curbside/containerized/community cleaning, roadwork -

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

3,500,000

4,000,000

Breaking out DSNY responsibilities

other diversion (excluded from statistics)

inert diversion

textiles/hhw/e-waste

traditional recycling

leaf/yard/food

disposed

93% diversion16% diversion

15%

Current disposal system

Long-Term Plan: Borough Equity

DSNY Curbside Recycling Collection

400,000 tons of paper recyclables collected annually.

250,000 tons of metal, glass, & plastic recyclables collected annually.

Paper, Metal, Glass and PlasticRecycling Rate Since J uly 1997

17.5% as of J une 2005

July 05, 17.5%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

JUL 1997

JAN 1998

JUL 1998

JAN 1999

JUL 1999

JAN 2000

JUL 2000

JAN 2001

JUL 2001

JAN 2002

JUL 2002

JAN 2003

JUL 2003

JAN 2004

JUL 2004

JAN 2005

SUSPENSION of GLASS AND

PLASTIC

estimated fraction of materials available to be recycled

Where Does it All Go?

Contracts for Processing NYC’s Recyclables

• DSNY collects recyclables and delivers them to contracted processors.

• Different contracts for processing commingled paper and commingled metal, glass, and plastic.

Contracts for Processing NYC’s Recyclables

• Average $7 per ton revenue for paper.

• Average $50 per ton cost for commingled metal/glass/plastic and beverage cartons “MGP”.

NYC’s Paper Recycling Contracts

The Visy plant on Staten Island receives 160,000 tons of paper per year, over 40% of the paper collected for recycling.

Visy Paper Mill

NYC’s Paper Recycling Contracts

Remaining 60% sold to paper processors who separate the paper into various grades.

NYC’s Metal, Glass & Plastic Contract

• Major U.S. scrap metal processor

• Long time processor of NYC metal

• Current processor of NYC’s MGP recyclables and selected as long term processor.

Sims Metals Marketing

Sims Waterborne Network • Hunts Point, Bronx

• Long Island City, Queens

• Claremont, Jersey City in New Jersey

Sims Claremont Facility in Jersey City, New Jersey

• Receives MGP from southern Manhattan and Staten Island

• Receives Bronx MGP by Barge

Waterborne Network for Recycling

• New materials recovery facility at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal

• Proposed Marine Transfer Station in Manhattan

Composting Program

• 20,000 tons per year autumn leaves.

• 6,000 tons per year landscaper grass and yard waste.

• 2,500 tons per year Christmas trees.

• 7,000 tons per year Rikers Island food waste.

• 35,500 tons per year total

Fall Leaf Collection

Program includes 34 of the City’s 59 Districts.

Leaf Composting Operations

Leaves are taken to the Department’s composting sites

Food Waste Composting at Rikers Island

• Rikers Island is the nation’s largest municipal prison system.

• Self-contained island houses over 17,000 inmates and 7,000 officers.

• Generates over 20 tons of food waste per day.• In 1996, construction completed of an enclosed,

agitated-bay composting system.

Food Waste Composting at Rikers Island

Finished compost used for landscaping and gardening on Rikers Island

NYC Compost Project

• Compost outreach and education to residents and businesses.

• Funded by DSNY, programs are carried out by staff at the City’s four Botanical Gardens and Lower East Side Ecology Center in Manhattan

Electronics Recycling Events

• Sites throughout the five boroughs

• Accepted:– Computers– Peripherals– TV’s and other A/V– Batteries– Cell-Phones

Four-fold Increase in Participation 2004 to 2008

Electronics make up only 0.9% of NYC’s waste stream

…that’s 33,939.8 tons or 67,899,600 pounds a year

Want to Really Make a Difference?

Recycle More Paper

Paper: the most under-recycled material

"Problems" as Expressed in Tons Sent to Disposal Annually

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

unrecycledpaper

unrecycledmetal

unrecycledglass bottles

and jugs

unrecycledplastic bottles

and jugs

the fact thatwe can't

recycle othernumbered

plastics

e-waste flourescentlight bulbs(186 tons)

textiles in thetrash

styrofoam plasticshopping

bags

Organic Wastes: Rotting, Gaseous and Unwanted

Compostable Under Industrial Conditions (not in backyard)

wood furniture, 2.30%

Yard Trimmings, 4.20%

other organics, 9.60%

compostable paper, 6.10%

Food Wastes, 17.70%

Yard Trimmings 4.2%Food Wastes 17.7%compostable paper 6.1%other organics 9.6%wood furniture 2.3%untreated other wood 0.8%total 40.7%

We cannot underestimate the barriers

• Lack of technological alternatives

• Density (compliance)• Service provision

(public workforce; free-market private sector)

• Facility Siting

Organic = Carbon

Other options only involve siting because they process organics as a mass, without separate sorting