Maggie Clarke, Ph'D', NYC Waste Prevention Coalition

1
Maggie Clarke, Ph.D., NYC Waste Prevention
Coalition

• Waste Prevention Ideas
• From New York City Waste Prevention
• Advocacy Organizations

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NYC Climate for Waste Prevention Advocacy

• DOS / DSNY position about waste prevention
• DSNY does not advocate setting percentage-based
  waste-prevention goals or mandates, on an
  expectation of a substantial decrease in the
  DSNY-managed waste stream from waste-prevention
  programs
• DSNY still supports waste prevention at the
  municipal level because of its great educational
  benefits

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Statement of Purpose

• The New York City Waste Prevention Coalition is a
  network of organizations and individuals
  dedicated to promoting waste prevention as the
  most responsible, environmentally sound and
  cost-effective means to solve New York City's
  mounting solid waste problems.

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All kinds of waste prevention recommendations

• Waste prevention legislation for NYC and NYS, for
  residents, businesses and government
• Incentives for WP and Disincentives against
  wasting
• Funding and Staffing for WP education and
  programs
• Educational / Vocational WP and Reuse Programs
• Research to Help Design WP programs
• Waste Prevention Reporting Requirements
• Waste Prevention Goals in Long-Range Plans

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Environmental Procurement legislation 1995,
1998, 2002

• Intro 509. Comprehensive, ambitious
  environmental procurement requirements for City
  agencies
• Purchasing, Maintenance, and Disposition of all
  types of Durables, Nondurables, Disposables,
  Packaging and Toxics
• Rates and dates for agency purchase requirements
• Contractor Requirements
• 10 year waste prevention plan for city agencies
• Annual reports of waste prevention in city
  agencies

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Environmental Procurement legislation

• Specifications, Minimum warrantees
• Minimum content standards for recycled products
• Documentation of the effectiveness of each
  requirement quantitatively
• Cost per ton, overall cost, percent prevented,
  etc on an annual basis.
• All purchases of printing and writing paper of
  chlorine-free recycled paper
• In 2005 some of the provisions passed in several
  bills.

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Intro 482 of 1998 Environmental Procurement

• City agencies review newly developed or existing
  procurement specs to determine whether they would
  exclude, eliminate or discourage purchase of
• recycled products or packaging,
• products or packaging manufactured from
  recyclable materials
• products, packaging or equipment that have been
  remanufactured or
• products or packaging that facilitate waste
  prevention, including but not limited to
  rechargeable batteries.

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Packaging recommendations

• Ban disposable packaging if food consumed onsite
• Require all plastic bags be made of 1 resin
  (recyclability)
• Ban sale of plastic bottle and jugs that cannot
  be recycled in NYCs curbside program in NYC
  (e.g. PVC).
• Tax on packaging containing toxic metals,
  compounds

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Product to Packaging Ratios

• Require products sold in NYC be labeled with
• (1) product-to-package ratio
• (2) cost of packaging,
• (3) package recyclability in NYC recycling
  program
• (4) toxics content of packaging (chlorine, lead,
  cadmium, mercury), and
• (5) secondary and postconsumer content in
  packaging.
• Tax excessively packaged products based on
  product/packaging ratio

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Other incentives disincentives

• Require Sunday newspapers be available by the
  section
• Tax credit for refillable, rechargeable, recycled
  content, design for environment products
• Tax credit for companies that install equipment
  that uses fewer nondurable products or that
  repair durable products
• Eliminate sales tax on double-sided copiers,
  printers, mulching mowers, green designs.

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More Legislation

• Require food vendors charge for disposable
  utensils, cups, plates, napkins.
• Require that retailers sell a certain percentage
  of their goods in bulk.
• Reduce by 90 the amount of toxics in products
  packaging
• All cash registers should have a Bring Your Own
  Bag sign.

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Commercial sector requirements

• Mandate commercial waste audits and business
  source reduction plans
• All City contracts with the private sector for
  management of solid waste or resources, should
  include waste prevention services as a
  deliverable.
• Require manufacturers to label products for
  warrantee period and provide information to
  purchaser on where products can be repaired

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Pay as you throw 5 year Phase in

• Make NYC residents aware of how much they pay in
  taxes to throw their trash away in preparation
  for substituting quantity-based user fees for
  hidden garbage taxes.
• Institute pilots first in outer boroughs (less
  density), then in Manhattan.

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Pay as you throw Final rollout

• Conduct at least 3 studies of PAYT strategies in
  outer boroughs and high density areas, continuing
  pilots until any problems are resolved.
• Institute Residential PAYT first in outer
  boroughs, then Manhattan.

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Quantity-Based user incentives

• Quantity-Based User Fees (PAYT) would backfire in
  City Agencies (theyd just ask for a larger
  budget)
• Institute QBUIs for all municipal and
  non-municipal institutions, where the City and
  the institution share the savings from the waste
  prevented.

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Educational initiatives

• Mayors daily waste prevention moment (media)
• Waste prevention blitzes (1 message / 6 months)
• Waste prevention principles integrated into
  school curricula.
• Free advertising directory / DOS hotline for
  repair, thrift, reuse shops
• Institute block / bldg captains to distribute
  education
• Booklet on commercial PAYT given to businesses

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More education programs

• Funding request for 5 Vocational Training and
  Placement institutes for new generation of
  Durables Repair professionals.
• Recommended 59 storefronts with Swap Shops,
  Educational staff, Hazwaste dropoff.
• November 2000, the City Council endorsed and
  funded WPC plan to establish waste prevention
  coordinators in several neighborhoods around the
  City.

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Other programs

• Free composters for residences, community gardens
  for use onsite.
• Expand Citys Materials for the Arts pilot reuse
  center to all boroughs
• Institute battery exchange at public Hospitals
• All school, agency cafeterias converted to
  reusables or compostables

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Research studies

• Undertake a packaging study what constitutes
  appropriate packaging? Then propose legislation,
  educational programs, and incentives.
• Waste prevention-oriented product and packaging
  categories in waste comp studies to facilitate
  design of waste prevention programs (proposed
  1989 and 2000, 2005) Some utilized.

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Program evaluation studies

• Establish uniform method of measuring the
  effectiveness of waste prevention programs by how
  many tons they prevent.
• Institute a computerized tracking system for
  reusable items (computers, furniture, etc) in
  City government warehouse, accessible to those in
  City agencies.
• Conduct an evaluation of DSNYs Mail Preference
  Service postcard service

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Waste prevention coalition recommendations

• Lobbied all Councilmembers asking for rejection
  of 2004 Solid Waste Management Plan if no Waste
  Prevention / Reuse in it
• 2005 State SWM Act revision includes Zero Waste
  goal, require zero waste initiatives in every
  year of a plan, and that the initiatives are
  funded and implemented.

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Waste prevention Goals (2004 Zero Waste Plan)

• Report 200 pages (to influence Citys 2004
  SWMP)
• By 2009 Goal 15 of Total Preventables diverted
  
• By 2014 Goal 35 of preventables are diverted
•  By 2024 Goal 100 of preventables are diverted
• Milestones in all zero waste categories and
  modalities (education, legislation, programs,
  incentives, research)

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Zero waste plan staffing recommendations by 2009

• Waste prevention purchasing and management staff
  (5)
•  
• Technical assistance office for agency waste
  prevention (12) performing 50-60 waste audits
  annually
•  
• School waste prevention coordinators (10 staff)
•  
• Business waste prevention technical assistance
  office created (12 staff) performing business
  waste audits, managing a revolving loan
•  

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More Details

• Complete copies of testimony, reports,
  legislation, recommendations, WPC bylaws, and
  related resources
• Why Waste NYC? website
• http//geography.hunter.cuny.edu/mclarke/WPComm.
  htm
• Longer Powerpoint with full list of WPC
  Recommendations available at GRRN.org later
• More research articles, papers on zero waste
  issues
• www.MaggieClarkeEnvironmental.com
• 212-567-8272