New York Waste Management Roman Kerekes-Shaw

What is it? A general definition of waste management is: the collection, transportation and disposal of garbage, sewage, and other waste products. Waste management encompasses all processes and resources for proper handling of waste materials, encompassing maintenance of the waste transport trucks to the dumbing facilities and compliance with health codes/regulations. Specifically I will be discussing the issue of consumer waste that is left on the streets of New York.

*Landfill in New York

Alternatives A common proposal for an alternative for waste management is that there are communal recycling spots however it will take a lot more of a push due to most individuals having deeply rooted ways i.e. laziness. A good place to start would be to increase the number of public recycling bins but also for every building and restaurant to have a mandatory compost to start to create a sense of communal sustainability when it comes to waste disposal. Another alternative would be to take after nations such as Japan who burn about 70 per cent of their waste and use that as energy. Along with this there should be an overall increase in the number of waste management plants so that the burden of the waste is not restricted to one large area which is used upon before another is chosen e.g. the landfill site at Staten Island which is now at capacity. By increasing the number of plants while decreasing the overall size of them the workload is spread more evenly and subsequently will help the issue of environmental racism where often areas with majority colored population or lower net income are forced to cope with most of the immediate issues that waste management in NYC produces. Increased targeted advertising campaigns about the issue would also do well to educate younger and older audiences

Rapid Prototype Essentially the design is more of a legislative piece that works to improve the efficiency of waste management in New York. For every bin out on the corner of the streets in New York the government can organize recycling and portable compost bins that will sit beside. The mentality of people just adding to what is already there needs to be transformed into adding to a sustainable future in regards to waste management. Composts to be provided by buildings both residential and commercial as well as integrating them into schools to promote sustainability early on. Areas will also not be worn out by giant waste management plants but rather have more dispersed throughout the state at a much smaller size and minimizing the negative impacts that are pushed onto different social demographics and nature. Government stimulus packages will be given to help subsidize the set up costs as the long term benefit will outweigh any short term hassle.

Resources ‘Compost Benefits and Uses’, WhatCom. http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/benefits_benefits.htm ‘Hazardous Waste Management’, New York State Department Of Environmental Services. http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8486.html ‘Municipal Waste Combustion Facilities’, New York State Department Of Environmental Services. http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/23683.html ‘NYC implements comprehensive programs to reduce solid waste’, National Geographic. http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/23/nyc-implements-comprehensive-programs-to-reduce-solid-waste/ Walshe, Sadhbh. ‘New York’s waste management plans don’t address throwaway culture’, The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/new-york-waste-management-plans-conflict