The State of Waste in

Source: Queens SWAB Organizing Committee member

A Report by the Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board Organizing Committee

April 2021 ABOUT THE QUEENS SOLID WASTE ADVISORY BOARD ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

In early 2020, the Queens Solid Waste Advisory SWABs are required to have at least 20 members Board (QSWAB) Organizing Committee established representing a diverse range of constituencies that as its mission to serve as a trusted voice advocating may include representatives from Community Boards, for fairness, equity, and anti-racism within the waste recycling and carting industry representatives, sector in Queens. In carrying out the functions of the environmental organizations, government agencies, citizens’ board as outlined in the City’s Administrative labor and business groups, property owners, tenant Code (§ Title 16-317; § Title 16-318), the QSWAB organizations, and the general public. Like Community Organizing Committee aimed to raise awareness about Boards, SWAB members are appointed by the the importance of responsible waste management President with additional input from local elected and resource recovery on the local, state, and regional officials. Members are expected to serve two-year terms environment and the health and well-being of Queens’ in a voluntary, unpaid capacity. communities. The group shared information and resources with the Queens , Queens Each borough’s SWAB is responsible for submitting to City Council Members, Queens Community Boards, and their respective Borough President an annual recycling the public via meeting agendas and minutes maintained plan and advising him or her on the following: from January 2018 through March 2021. 1. recycling and reduction goals, and the methods Prior to the QSWAB Organizing Committee, Queens had proposed to achieve such goals; a SWAB from 1989, shortly after passage of Local Law 1989 the Mandatory Recycling Law, until approximately 2. means to encourage community participation in the 2011 when the group disbanded. In January 2018, five recycling program; and Queens residents reactivated a Queens SWAB, brought together by a shared desire to ensure the borough was 3. means to promote the recycling program and educate contributing to the broader City conversation the public about the program. about re-imagining “waste” as a “resource.” The group continued to meet monthly, growing from the original Both and have had active SWABs five organizers to over 25 attendees by the end of 2020. for decades. A Bronx SWAB, inactive for many years, From January 2018 until March 2021, the group began taking shape with new leadership in November operated under the name Queens Solid Waste Advisory 2020 with new leaders formally appointed in March Board Organizing Committee due to lack of formal 2021. Only currently lacks an active recognition. Encouraged by Council SWAB. The SWABs’ work today extends beyond annual Member (Chair of the New York recycling reporting to include advocating around issues City Council’s Sanitation and Solid Waste Committee), ranging from mandatory composting to pharmaceutical Queens Borough President began the diversion that inform the City’s public policy and legal process to appoint a formally recognized QSWAB. practices. Applications were posted on the Queens Borough President’s website in February 2021 and a new group with formal recognition was appointed in April 2021. Queens SWAB Organizing Committee Meetings and Events: 2018 - 2021 Source: Queens SWAB Organizing Committee members

6 7 BACKGROUND

The following report, nearly a year in the making, Although the conversation around waste often skews represents the collective effort of over 20Queens Solid negative, this report also highlights Queens’Community Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) Organizing Committee Assets related to recycling, diversion, and resource members and countless government, agency, civic, recovery. Among these are a nationally recognized small nonprofit, commercial, and community readers and compost processor, a nonprofit that provides meals contributors. by rescuing food from commercial establishments, and countless volunteer groups providing food scrap This report provides a baseline for measuring Queens’ diversion and compost processing to replace services contributions to New York City’s goal of sending zero- lost this past year due to COVID budget cuts. waste to landfills by the year 2030. Because waste has often been linked to public health, The report also introduces the QSWAB Organizing we next examine how Queens residents view the Committee (soon to be formally recognized) to Queens Impact of Waste on their lives. We created a broad REPORT CONTRIBUTORS residents, many of whom may be unfamiliar with the online survey completed by over 400 respondents and civic group’s role as a legally mandated advisor to the Mary Arnold, Rachel Boeglin (Project Manager, Writer, Editor, Photographer), Katy Burgio, Anita Chan, Belinda administered a narrower, in-person survey at three Queens Borough President and local electeds on the Chiu, Ruth Esa, Michael Cyr, Caitlin Enz, Wylie Goodman (Project Supervisor, Lead Writer, Editor), Zhi Keng He (Data waste-collection sites. With a focus on environmental City’s Solid Waste Management Plan. Visualization/Mapping), Gabby Langston (Data Visualization/Mapping), Susan Latham (Copy Editor/Proofreader), justice, we also held in-depth conversations with Mortimer “Mac” Lawrence, Perry Leung (Report Draft 2019: Researcher), Jenny Lin, Adam Mitchell, Kathy Mu (Graphics The report begins by exploring Queens’ Waste Statistics, leaders from Community Districts 5 and 12 who have Designer), Jennifer McDonnell, Kara Napolitano (Project Manager), Racheal Notto (Project Manager), Mary Parisien, highlighting the materials residents use and discard fought for decades to address waste inequities caused, Andrea Scarborough, Arianna Stenta, Maura Troester (Copyeditor/Proofreader), Vanessa Ventola, Jauna Vitale, Jane Wu and how well or poorly we divert recoverable resources respectively, by outmoded diesel trains carrying from our waste stream. Given the City’s rising export construction and demolition debris and unenclosed costs, the way improperly managed organics contributes waste transfer stations. to climate change, and the environmental impacts ACKNOWLEDGMENTS COVID-19 Impacts to the City and borough were far- of landfills and incineration on environmental justice reaching, affecting both waste output and public sector SWAB Leadership Readers: Matthew Civello (Chair, Manhattan SWAB), Amy Marpman (Vice-Chair, Queens SWAB communities, examining our borough’s waste behaviors services. Queens’ pandemic experience as it relates to Organizing Committee), Shari Rueckl (Chair, Brooklyn, SWAB), Dior St. Hilaire (Chair, Bronx SWAB) is critical to helping the City pilot and implement waste serves to remind us why a clean city is critical to prevention and intervention strategies. Partner Contributors: Barbara Brown (Eastern Queens Alliance), Gloria Boyce-Charles (Eastern Queens Alliance), Caren public confidence and urges us to heed the lessons of Tedesco Cardoso (Astoria Pug), Belinda Chiu (A Healthy Blueprint), Debbie Lee Cohen (Cafeteria Culture), Kathleen One way to understand Community Needs around COVID to ensure we are prepared for the next health or Corradi (NYC Department of Education | Division of School Facilities), Keith Dumanski (Materials for the Arts), Chelsea waste is through facilitated listening sessions. Due economic crisis. to the social distancing constraints of COVID-19, we Encababian (Queens Botanical Garden), Sonia Ferraro (Paradise Community Garden), Thomas Goldsmith (St. John’s Finally, we conclude the report with policy and practice turned instead to publicly available data that captured University), Justin Green (Big Reuse), Nicole Grossberg (Zero Waste NYC Workshops), Danielle Dubno-Hammer (The Recommendations designed to engage a broad range how Queens residents want to improve their waste Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights), David Hurd (GrowNYC), Clarisa James (Laurelton Cleanup), Rhonda of stakeholders. If we want to achieve a zero-waste landscape. Using 311 data, Community Board (CB) FY21 Keyser (Cafeteria Culture), Katherine Kitchener (DSNY), Jennifer Kline (DSNY), Karen Irby-Lawson (SEQ Cleanup), future, we need all parties at the table and mutually Annual Needs Statements, and Participatory Budgeting Benjamin Lucas (Woodside Sunnyside Composting), Robert Lee (Rescuing Leftover Cuisine), Angela Miskis (Abuela committing to the change we want to see. Neighborhood Maintenance), Michael Otterman (45th Street Composters), Kate Person (Proud Astorian), Rebecca Pryor submissions, we captured the waste-related priorities (Guardians of Flushing Bay), Lou Reyes (Astoria Pug), Dawn Roberts-Semple (York College), Catherine Smiley (Rescuing and services residents want in order to address local Leftover Cuisine), Jennifer Walden Weprin (Queens County Farm Museum), Kate Wimsatt (GrowNYC) challenges.

4 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

New York City last submitted a ComprehensiveSolid What is the current state of waste and resource What are Queens residents and organizations To ensure Queens youth learn why getting to zero waste Waste Management Plan (SWMP) to New York State’s recovery in Queens? doing to help the borough manage waste and is critical to their future as environmental citizens — and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in resources? how they can contribute — far more Queens public Queens residents throw out trash in numbers 2006, five years after the City’s last-remaining landfill, schools need to be brought into the fold. Currently, nearly equal to their share of New York City’s total In the wake of COVID-19, countless Queens residents, Fresh Kills, closed.1 The SWMP detailed how the NYC approximately half (148) of Queens 377 DOE schools population and recycle at nearly the same rate. But nonprofits, businesses, and institutions stepped Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Bureau of Solid are included in DSNY’s Organics Collection, but less while some Queens Community Districts divert up in ways large and small to contribute to waste Waste Management would reduce and dispose of than 20 engage in higher-level zero waste educational recyclable materials (Paper, Metal-Glass-Plastic- management and resource recovery in the borough. residential waste, residential recycling, and commercial offerings, includingZero Waste Pledge, S.E.E.D., and Cartons, Organics) at levels approaching DSNY’s 2020 The last year saw the activation of at least nine cleanup waste for the next 20 years — until 2025.2 Race Against Waste.7 Likewise, the nonprofit Cafeteria Recycling Goal of 25%, others are as low as 13%. groups, 17 volunteer-led food scrap drop-off sites, and Culture, which successfully engaged youth to pass When the City’s Independent Budget Office reviewed This suggests a clear need to tailor education and an overall increase in businesses supporting zero-waste Local Law 142 of 2013 banning single-service foam the plan at its halfway mark, they discovered something outreach to communities’ unique dynamics to ensure practices. From buy-nothing groups (15) that encourage food and beverage containers, among their many unexpected: predictions about the City’s waste output full participation across the borough in removing reuse to sustainability/beautification advocacy accomplishments, has only worked in 10 Queens public had been overstated. The SWMP envisioned a nearly recoverable materials from our waste stream. nonprofits (8), this report identified nearly 200 Queens schools.8. 21% increase in curbside and containerized waste, but community assets — some long-established others One reason diversion rates lag is unequal access by 2017 residential waste had decreased by nearly 9% newly formed — that directly or indirectly help Queens That needs to change. to resources. For example, only 9 of Queens’ 14 from a high of 13,456 tons per day in 2007 to 12,246 residents contribute to a greener, cleaner borough. Community Districts, or 46% of Queens’ households, We also know that not all neighborhoods are tons in 2016.2 As of DSNY’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Annual had access to Curbside Organics Collections (COC) prior Yet as with recycling diversion, community assets shouldering the burden of waste externalities equally. Report, tonnage had declined further to 10,154 per to the COVID-19 Citywide suspension. While voluntary are not always distributed equally. We found in Many of our neighbors in CD12 live in areas that day.3 COC has not yet realized the promise of recovering the our research that Astoria and were coexist with unenclosed waste transfer stations that DSNY will soon draft a new SWMP to guide policy for 34% or more of organic materials New Yorkers now pay represented by 20 or more assets, while neighborhoods release dust, leachate, and particulate matter into the the next 20 years. But in light of the challenges inherent to export to landfills — and diverting it to beneficial like Bayside, Hollis, and College Point had less than environment. In CD5, transporting of waste by rail has in forecasting, combined with the still-uncertain realities uses (i.e., compost) — failure to provide COC, along five. DSNY’s own data showed that, compared to other for decades polluted the air and land in ways activists about City life post-pandemic, it may be time for a with a lack of local, alternative diversion options (i.e., boroughs, Queens ranked third in the number of its are still fighting to have taken seriously. collective pause to ask how are we doing now in terms food-scrap drop-off sites, community garden compost retail, repair, and reuse outlets. Council Member Keith As the 20+ volunteers who researched, wrote, edited, of residential and commercial waste management? bins), guarantees that participation rates will remain Power and Antonio Reynoso’s proposed Community and designed this report — in the middle of a pandemic low when COC returns in Fall 2021 and that widespread Organics and Recycling Empowerment (CORE) Act, For the purpose of this report, our focus is not on the during one of the worst economic crises in modern acceptance around separating food waste, should which would ensure a minimum of three food-scrap City overall but a single borough: Queens. Queens is the history — we know this document is just the start of a Mandatory Organics legislation be passed, is unlikely. drop-off sites and potentially more compost-processing most ethnically diverse urban area in the world,4 with longer conversation with local electeds, agencies, and sites in each Community District, could help level the the City’s largest land mass (178 square miles).5 And Finally, while Queens is thought of as a borough of community stakeholders about our borough’s waste and playing field. how Queens is doing in terms of waste management single-family homes, many of the borough’s large resource recovery accomplishments and challenges. may be an indicator for conditions Citywide. buildings (10 units or more) are not taking full What still needs to be done in Queens and Citywide Notably, the report barely touches on waste produced advantage of free DSNY diversion programs that could to achieve the goal of sending zero waste to by restaurants, retailers, hospitals, offices, and other Queens is also home to the QSWAB Organizing further eliminate textile and e-waste from the waste landfills by 2030? businesses, which in 2018 were estimated by the New Committee members who wrote this report. Founded stream. More information is needed to determine York City Comptroller to generate 13,000 tons of solid in January 2018 to serve as an interim guide to elected Although budget cuts linked to COVID-19 have been what distinguishes participating from non-participating waste every day, representing over half of the City’s officials, City agencies, and residents in advance of devastating, there are reasons to feel encouraged about buildings, but the fact that 638 of Queens’ 422,970 overall solid waste output.9 The next step is to track formal appointment by an incoming Queens Borough what this period revealed about Queens’ commitment (.15%) larger buildings are enrolled in refashion NYC and progress over time and, ideally, inform the next SWMP. President, the group wanted to address waste by not to creating a healthier environment. Groups like 3,497 in eCycle NYC (.82%) is a missed opportunity. only reporting quantitative data but also telling the Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, founded by an Astoria In addition to reading the report, we encourage people stories of people working outside formal structures to resident, last year diverted more than 1.6M lbs. of to visit our website to find local resources, see data manage resources, reduce waste, and ensure a more food from the waste stream by redirecting it to people visualizations, and read summaries from three years of equitable environment for all. facing food insecurity.6 Currently though, only one guest presenters to learn what experts and innovators in Queens restaurant — a commercial kitchen — partners the field recommend as best practices. Here is what the data and Queens residents told us. with the nonprofit. More Queens restaurants should be enlisted in the effort in 2021. In the end, with support from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors — and if we each do our part — Queens can lead the way in sending zero waste to landfills by 2030. 8 9 Waste Statistics

Recommendation QSWAB’s Role Step 1 (Short-Term) Step 2 (Long-Term) Who Is Involved Increase Queens’ Paper, Work with Community Boards, Recruit new QSWAB members from Work with the QBP’s office to QBP, Community Board leaders, MGPC, and Organics neighborhood civics, and Community Districts with lower than create a CD diversion, capture, Queens civics and environmental diversion and captures environmental nonprofits to average diversion and capture rates to and/or contamination challenge nonprofits, Queens DOE Schools TBD: rates to at least 20% increase awareness about better understand the knowledge and/or with a reward that incentivizes QSWAB Members RECOMMENDATIONS (DSNY’s annual goal is removing recoverable materials resource gaps that may be contributing to improvement. See MBP’s Paper 25%) emphasizing from the waste stream as an reduced community buy-in/participation. Challenge as an example. (http: improvement in CDs with environmental justice and //manhattanpaperchallenge. lower than average rates. climate change issue. Prioritize com/). Propose to the QBP a Reduce contamination outreach and education in CDs competition for Queens grade, rates to below 10%. with lower than average middle, high school and colleges to diversion and capture rates. design a marketing campaign tailored to CDs with lower than average diversion and capture rates.

Increase access to Examine maps of current Engage trusted neighborhood partners Work with the City’s other DSNY, Community Groups TBD, City’s Organics Collection Curbside Organic Collection and who can help locations that could borough-based SWABs to co-lead other Borough-Based SWABs, QSWAB opportunities in all 14 FSDOs, supported by DSNY and become sites for food scrap drop-off the Envisioning Organics Project to Members Queens’ Community volunteer-run, and identify new and/or local small-scale community reimagine reaching zero waste to Districts, particularly locations where collection compost processing. Address community landfills by 2030 with an emphasis Environmental Justice could be piloted (e.g., at members’ concerns and misconceptions on mandatory organics diversion communities and CDs not curbside, near transit centers, about organics collection. Work with and local community composting. covered by Curbside Greenmarkets, community trusted neighborhood partners to devise Identify trusted neighborhood Organics Collection. gardens, large food distribution linguistically and culturally appropriate partners interested in advocating centers, food banks, CSA outreach to encourage resident sign-up for Mandatory Organics and distribution sites, City-owned for Curbside Organics Collection in August passage of the C.O.R.E. Act sites suitable for agriculture, 2021 especially in Environmental Justice churches). Work with trusted communities and communities that STATE OF WASTE IN neighborhood partners such as lacked COC prior to its suspension. Invite Community Boards, civic MWBE entrepreneurs (BK Rot, Common groups, nonprofit, and faith- Ground Compost, Vokashi) to speak to based organizations to increase Queens Community Board leaders and QUEENS: NEXT STEPS local buy-in/participation. local civics and environmental groups, particularly in Environmental Justice This report concludes with a focused set of For this reason, the City's SWABs must be allowed to communities, to provide guidance on starting microhauling businesses in recommendations based on previous sections’ findings participate in the formulation of the next SWMP, and Queens. Increase participation in Identify at least five new Gather marketing materials from Pilot refashionNYC and ecycleNYC MSWAB, Building Management and and our review of goals articulated in public reports the process should be as inclusive and transparent as refashionNYC, ecycleNYC, buildings in each CD that could Manhattan SWAB to learn about in at least three new buildings in Supers TBD, QSWAB Members and Organics Collections be introduced to refashionNYC strategies to engage management and each CD and document such as OneNYC, DSNY’s recent Waste possible. Fortunately, with a new QSWAB in place, in Queens’ buildings of 10 and ecycleNYC. supers in larger 10+ unit buildings. experiences on QSWAB website. Characterization reports, NYCHA’s Sustainability Plan, Queens’ ability to play a leading role in advising on or more units. Improve diversion, Continue QSWAB engagement Recruit a NYCHA resident/tenant or super Connect with NYCHA Tenant QBP’s Office, DSNY, NYCHA residents and, most importantly, the City’s now 15-year old Solid waste management policy for the next 25 years is more capture, and with the MSWAB / NYCHA to serve on the QSWAB in a board or Representatives and/or Supers in and supers TBD, MSWAB Members contamination rates at working group by assigning a liaison role. Work with DSNY and tenants partnership with the QBP’s Office TBD, QSWAB Members Waste Master Plan (SWMP). assured now than ever. NYCHA buildings and new person to that committee. as needed to collect and publish and hold a future QSWAB meeting increase access to Paper, CD/borough-specific data on DSNY at QueensBridge Houses or MGPC, and organics collections at the largest five NYCHA another large NYCHA property. diversion for NYCHA properties in Queens. The last SWMP, drafted in 2006 and meant to guide residents. policy into 2025, is nearly at its end. And although it Improve diversion, Identify at least five Queens Connect teachers/administrators in at Invite teachers/administrators DOE Teachers/Administrators TBD, capture, and DOE Schools in each CD that least five Queens DOE Schools with from Queens DOE Schools that QSWAB Members presented a path for New York to achieve a zero waste contamination rates at could be enrolled in DOE Zero mentor teachers from Queens schools have completed Zero Waste Queens DOE Schools. Waste Programs outside of that have successfully completed Zero Programs to speak at QSWAB future, implementation has proven elusive, with Organics Collection. Waste Programs to offer guidance. meetings to share best practices. diversion rates stagnant, enforcement declining year Make publicly available Initiate conversation about C & Convene individual and/or joint meetings Work with City agencies and the DSNY, HPD, Business Integrity commercial waste data, D waste with DSNY, HPD, to better understand the C & D sector. NYCC to set C & D diversion Commission, The General Contractors over year for the last five years, and laws passed in including tonnage of C & Business Integrity Commission, benchmarks and annual reporting Association of New York, Private D materials generated at The General Contractors guidelines for City and City-funded Carters Handling C & D, WTS Owners piecemeal fashion, driven by politics rather than policy. City and City-funded Association of New York, capital projects. Begin to more capital projects and Private Carters Serving Handling closely monitor Active Major where/how materials are C & D, and WTS. Construction Data to identify handled. larger construction firms and projects working in Queens. (https://www1.nyc. gov/assets/buildings/html/nyc- active-major-construction.html) Pass, following further Work with Queens State Form a Legislative or Policy Committee Work with the other SWABs to Queens’ City, State, and Federal refinement, S. 1185B and Senators, such as co-sponsors within the newly formed QSWAB tasked draft testimony and joint policy Electeds, Citywide SWABs, QSWAB the federal Break Free Joseph Addabo, Jr., Leroy with overseeing legislative initiatives and recommendations to be delivered Members From Plastics Act. Comrie, and Jessica Ramos to building relationships with electeds. to State Senators and engage recommend changes to S. broader coalitions around 1185B to make it more supporting the Break Free from effective. Plastics Act Evaluate data and Participate in SWMP Publish an annual update on key statistics Engage with stakeholders on the QBP, NYCC Members, Mayor’s Office, reporting as part of the development. found in this report. value of data and reporting and DEC, DSNY, QSWAB Members next Citywide Solid Waste make reporting a requirement of Management Plan and the CWZ contracts, including data consider measurement on diversion (Paper, MGPC, and reporting on Organics, and recoverable additional categories (e.g. industrial byproducts). bulk and commercial waste). Perform CD spot audits on Collaborate with Community Establish schedule to reach all QNS CDs. Set and achieve targets to increase Queens Community Boards, DSNY, capture and Board leaders to participate. on both metrics in all QNS CDs. Queens Residents, QSWAB Members contamination rates and publish data.

90 91 Community Needs Community Assets

Recommendation QSWAB’s Role Step 1 (Short- Term) Step 2 (Long-Term) Partners Recommendation QSWAB’s Role Step 1 (Short-Term) Step 2 (Long-Term) Who is Involved Investigate the and location of DSNY Arrange a presentation of the State of Share with leaders in Community Conduct quarterly check-ins with Community Board leaders in Ensure the long-term security of Big Work with Big Reuse to advocate Explore other opportunities to Work with environmental lawyers and the Big Reuse, Department of City and DEP 311 calls in Community Districts 7, 12, Waste in Queens report to the leadership Boards 7, 12, and 13 volunteer CBs 7, 12, and 13 to ensure Community Districts 7, 12, and Reuse as a critical Community Asset for their ability to extend their expand Big Reuse's local NYC Department of City Planning to create Planning, Pro Bono Legal Consult and 13 and determine potential prevention of Community Boards 7, 12, and 13 and groups in other Community sanitation concerns are being 13, Sanitation Committee and restore support for DSNY lease and continue compost community composting to other legal and zoning protections to ensure that TBD, QSWAB Members and intervention responses. their Sanitation Committees. Districts have addressed "Dirty addressed jointly with the leaders in Community Districts 7, nonprofit partners Queens Botanical processing on NYC Parks space vacant and under-utilized City- small to mid-size community-led Conditions" in ways that reduced QSWAB. 12, and 13, Representative Garden and GrowNYC to be able to where the by-product of their owned sites. composting on City-owned land is an recidivism. Volunteer Groups TBD expand and increase their outreach work is most beneficial. allowable use with community approval. Secure funding to address repeatedly unmet Reach out to Community Board leaders Work with CB 2, 3, 10, and 11 Hold accountable through Community Board leaders in and programming (e.g., FSDOs, DSNY and DEP needs in Community Districts 2, and Sanitation Committee members who leaders and Sanitation Committee annual or bi-annual reporting Community Districts 2, 3, 10, and Master Composter program). 3, 10, and 11. sit on CBs 2, 3, 10, and 11 to foster leaders to ensure Annual Needs the status of unmet DSNY and 11, Sanitation Committee Encourage and increase Arrange a meeting for Organize annual presentations by Create a grant fund, similar to that of the Queens College and University productive collaboration with the QSWAB Assessment concerns are brought DEP needs in CBs 2, 3, 10, and leaders in Community Districts 2, collaboration among Queens' sustainability representatives of Queens colleges and universities MSWAB, that would support Queens Sustainability Leaders, QSWAB around sanitation needs. to Council Members' and DSNY 11. 3, 10, and 11. Council Members colleges and university around Queens institutions of higher to report on progress in achieving students working to pilot innovative waste Members attention. representing Community sustainability education and waste- learning to encourage sustainability and waste diversion diversion projects and solutions. Districts 2, 3, 10, and 11 diversion. collaboration and sharing of best goals at scale. Examine the NYCC Expense Budgets for Explore NYC Open Data to determine Identify Community Boards that Evaluate performance of Solar DSNY, BetaNYC, Community practices that can be adapted to Cleaning, Litter Basket Collection, and number and location of Big Belly Solar may want to advocate for re- Bins in Community Districts Boards TBD the particularities of each campus. Enforcement and determine whether a bins in Queens and how these correlate to direction of Expense Funding for where they currently exist or in Expand Cafeteria Culture's reach to Introduce Cafeteria Culture to Work with Cafeteria Culture to Evaluate and document at the end of each Cafeteria Culture, Queens DOE percent could be redirected to installing Big 311 calls regarding Cleaning, Litter Basket Solar Bins as an alternative to new Community Districts where 12 Queens DOE primary schools. Principals of Queens DOE primary understand their capacity to school year Cafeteria Culture's expansion Schools TBD, QSWAB Members Belly Solar Bins in busy commercial locations Collection, and Enforcement and relation Litter Basket Collection in a few they are piloted to make the schools, particularly ones in expand and help them target to Queens DOE Schools and make plans in where litter issues are endemic. to Council Member funding for each pilot locations. case for their expansion. underserved communities with Queens schools most in need of advance for the following year's target category. low diversion rates and/or where their services (i.e., Title 1 Schools). schools. Expand Participatory Budgeting to all Queens Encourage QSWAB members who live in Work with QSWAB members who Evaluate status of submitted Council Members representing Curbside Organics Collection had Community Districts and better engage Community Districts without Participatory live in Community Districts that Participatory Budgeting waste Community Districts without not yet been introduced. community members who want to submit Budgeting to advocate for its expansion have Participatory Budgeting and diversion projects to determine Participatory Budgeting, QSWAB Recruit at least 25 Queens Work with the QBP's Office to Ask QSWAB members to pledge to Document and report the tonnage of food Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, QBP's waste diversion projects to shape successful with a petition campaign. encourage them to submit waste if they won or lost and what can Members, Community Members restaurants to partner with Rescuing introduce Rescuing Leftover volunteer with Rescuing Leftover waste diverted from landfills in Queens Office, Queens Restaurateurs TBD, submissions. diversion projects for be done to ensure projects TBD Leftover Cuisine. Cuisine to at least 25 Queens Cuisine at least 1x per year and through RLC restaurant partnerships and QSWAB Members consideration. speak to community members' restaurants with a high-volume recruit one friend or colleague to redistributed to food-insecure needs. food output and/or in do the same. communities. communities with high levels of food insecurity. Encourage the creation of at least Identify community groups in Invite DSNY's Bureau of Document and report the impact of DSNY Bureau of Community Affairs, one volunteer clean-up group in Community Districts that have Community Affairs to present to volunteer community groups' work Volunteer Community Groups TBD, each Community District and reported higher than average the QSWAB about the process of annually or bi-annually in updated State of QSWAB Members connect groups with one another to cleaning concerns and connect leading DSNY-supported cleanups. Waste reports. share resources, challenges, and them with volunteer groups in learning. other Community Districts that have organized successful cleanups. Identify new potential FSDO and Outreach to community gardens, Connect currently existing FSDO Document and report community group's NYC Department of City Planning, local community composting sites in farmer's markets, CSA distribution representatives with community annual organics diversion to confirm Existing Volunteer FSDO and Queens that could be created by sites, and City agency members seeking to start FSDOs groups' impact and use data to advocate Composting Volunteer Groups, building on existing assets and City- representatives to explore interest or processing organics locally to for funding to expand their reach. Community Members TBD, QSWAB owned land suitable for agriculture. in setting up FSDO or compost understand challenges, protocols, Members processing at these locations. and best practices to ensure success. Increase the number of Queens- Request a list of Queens-based Confirm the status of Queens- Map the locations of Queens-based reuse DSNY, Queens BIDs, Queens based businesses providing reuse businesses providing reuse based reuse businesses post- businesses and share on the QSWAB Chamber of Commerce, NYC Law opportunities. opportunities from DSNY's 2019 COVID. website. Identify geographic gaps and Department, Reuse Sector Report. outreach to BIDS to suggest they recruit Members, Business Owners TBD, businesses providing this service. QSWAB Members Encourage the City to provide tax incentives to waste diversion/reuse businesses. Create Right to Repair workshops in Introduce the Right to Repair Research implementation and Pilot a repair workshop in a DOE middle- or NYC DOE Queens Leaders, Right to Queens DOE middle and high concept to 10 Queens DOE middle outcomes from repair workshops high school that expresses Interest and Repair Consultants and Nonprofit Schools. and high schools. in other schools (e.g., Ethical document impact. Advocates, DOE Teachers, QSWAB Culture Fieldston) and share with Members Queens DOE leadership to encourage adoption. Make new and existing assets Create an interactive asset map on Encourage community members Annually document change in asset Queens businesses and nonprofits accessible to Queens residents so the QSWAB website and update to send us information about new number and location to help community and community groups TBD, they can be utilized to their full quarterly in collaboration with assets to ensure maps are up-to- members more quickly identify asset gaps. QSWAB Members extent. Increase awareness of partners. date. resources and the benefits of using them. Provide more recognition for Invite Queens DOE Zero Waste Recommend to the QBP that Zero Help promote Zero Waste School award DOE Zero Waste School Award Queens DOE Zero Waste School Award Winner Waste Award Winners receive winners on social media and to local Winners, DSNY, QBP, QSWAB School Award Winners representatives to present to the additional recognition from their Queens press and identify opportunities to Members QSWAB to learn more about their office to increase public connect these schools with their peers. success strategies. awareness.

92 93 Waste Impacts COVID Impacts

Recommendation QSWAB’s Role Step 1 (Short-Term) Step 2 (Long-Term) Who is Involved Recommendation QSWAB’s Role Step 1 (Short-Term) Step 2 (Long-Term) Who is Involved Pilot the T.O.S.S. Model in Introduce the T.O.S.S. concept to Send to NYCDOT and DSNY a letter from the QSWAB Identify five business improvement Queens BIDs, T.O.S.S. leaders, Queens Chamber Pass Intro. 1942 and 1943, the Community Outreach to Queens NYC Ensure that the CORE Act is taken Track progress on CORE Act Queens New York City partnership with Queens BIDS to new QSWAB members, Queens supporting the QSWAB concept. districts in Queens open to piloting of Commerce: QSWAB Members Organics and Recycling Empowerment (CORE) Act, Council Members and up in the next NYCC FY and work passage and improve its potential Council Members, Queens to support equity in Organics and e-Waste Queens Community Board with the City's other borough- impact by ensuring sufficient Community Boards, Queens reduce overflow commercial Community Board leaders, and the T.O.S.S. model. Queens BIDS. collection opportunities in all NYC Community leaders to educate them based SWABs and Queens partners coverage in Environmental Justice Compost-Focused trash where pedestrians use Districts. Strengthen the legislation by ensuring about the CORE Act and ask (e.g., Big Reuse, Queens Botanical communities that struggle with Nonprofits, QSWAB sidewalk space. funding for outreach, education, and local for their support. Garden) to advocate for its storm water runoff. Advocate for Members Zero-Waste 2030: Divert quantified Identify in partnership with others Direct targeted education and outreach to NYC Evaluate and document diversion Queens Borough President, City Council composting processing and distribution. passage. use of locally made compost in amounts of Queens' organics and the adverse community impacts households that better connects individual rate of organics and recycling Members, DSNY, Community Boards, Big Reuse, these communities to enhance soil recyclable materials from landfills. from waste export (e.g., CD 12 household practices to adverse community impacts materials from the waste export Targeted households, QSWAB Members conditions in tree beds and rain transfer stations, CD 5 waste-by-rail from waste export. For example, show how greatly stream, including positive and gardens. export) as well as local increasing Organics and recycling diversion of negative consequences to Ensure DSNY has at the ready a long-term Research how other U.S. and Work with the City's other With the City's other borough- DSNY, Citywide SWABs opportunities to divert waste that household MSW handled by Waste Management's communities. resiliency plan that includes scenarios in which international cities handled borough-based SWABS to advocate based SWABs, request from DSNY reduce harmful health and Review Avenue and Varick Ave. transfer stations Municipal Solid Waste increases as it did during the increase in MSW during for the drafting and/or sharing of a to host a post-mortem dialogue on environmental impacts both in the means fewer rail cars of exported waste in CDs2 and COVID. Ensure future DSNY budgets include a COVID to identify alternative DSNY Resiliency Contingency Plan COVID to assure the agency can borough and on communities 5 and less problematic Organic waste at Upstate "Rainy Day Fund" to cover the predicted increased approaches. that takes into account lessons communicate to community farther away. landfills that have led to lawsuits against the City. expenses that we saw during COVID due to waste learned from COVID-19. members lessons learned and Zero Waste 2030: Divert quantified Identify adverse community Set date and time and send out invitations to a Evaluate and document Queens Borough President, City Council generation moving from commercial to residential changes the agency foresees amounts of C&D waste processed in impacts in Queens from C&D export webinar that demonstrates the feasibility of participation, participant feedback, Members, DSNY generators. making to its policies or practices if and transported through Queens' (e.g., CB 12 transfer stations, CB 5 increasing C&D diversion and the need for state next steps. post-COVID MSW rates continue to waste from landfills. waste-by-rail export), Quantify legislation that makes it illegal to landfill gypsum remain higher than anticipated due to a decrease in commercial tonnage processed and hauled wallboard with in-person participation for select activity. annually in Queens, and provide invitees, if possible, and public access and education and outreach to NYS rebroadcast for others. Provide more support for communities post- Provide a dedicated page Invite Juan Saldana from DSNY's Track # and impact of volunteer- DSNY, Volunteer Community DEC, NYC Council Members, DSNY, COVID to initiate and lead public clean-ups. and calendar on the QSWAB Bureau of Community Affairs and led community clean-ups and Groups, QSWAB Members and others identified by QSWAB Increase public education about costs to taxpayers website for communities to volunteers from successful survey participants to gather members through a presentation when public baskets are used to dispose of sign-up to lead cleanup volunteer cleanup groups to speak feedback about the factors that by, for example, Building Products residential waste. events and help promote at a QSWAB meeting about the contribute to these being Ecosystems under the auspices of them. process of leading successful meaningful experiences. Convene a the Queens Borough President. community cleanups. meeting of Queens volunteer Require Queens transfer stations Work with the community to Work with the community in CD 12 Jamaica on a Conduct quarterly reporting to Queens Borough President, CUNY Center for cleanup groups to support the covered under Waste Equity Local identify performance standards pilot report on transfer stations' performance for QSWAB on progress in CD 12 Urban Environmental Reform, NYC Environmental creation of a How-To Guide for Law 152 and Commercial Waste Zone according to state law, city law, and the Queens Borough President. Jamaica. Hold transfer stations Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), The Transdisciplinary communities that currently lack a Local Law 199 to comply with state consent orders for Queens Transfer accountable through their Center on Early Environmental Exposures Icahn similar effort. Offer to host the law, city law, and consent decrees. stations in communities identified quarterly reports to the School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, York College How-to Guide on the QSWAB's by NYC as environmental justice community and their giving the CUNY Department of Earth and Physical Sciences, website. communities pursuant to Local community access for inspections. DSNY, NYCEDC, NYCIDA, NYSERDA, Civic Consider more innovative approaches to public Use the State of Waste in Introduce innovative approaches to Invite a speaker from a City that DSNY, Queens Community Laws 60 and 64. Identify the extent Associations, QSWAB Members litter baskets such as strategies used in Queens report to identify public litter (e.g., Amsterdam has piloted innovative public litter Boards, Citywide SWABs, of compliance and enforcement, Amsterdam to surround bins with greenery https: neighborhoods where public models, T.O.S.S. pilot) to Queens technology to present to the National/International and opportunities to achieve //www.theguardian. litter baskets were most cut Community Boards as a first step QSWAB and the City's other Experts TBD,, QSWAB measurable long-term com/world/2020/jun/12/amsterdam-plants-mini- during COVID and 311 calls toward securing public buy-in for borough-based SWABs to share Members improvements in community gardens-around-bins-in-drive-to-cut-littering or about litter were highest. local pilots. process and outcomes. health, environment, and quality of underground storage to reduce vermin https: life. Report findings to the Borough //www.core77.com/posts/102208/Amsterdams- President annually, and on an ad Smart-System-of-Underground-Garbage-Bins. hoc basis as needed. Increase discretionary funding for community-led Invite people who have Invite a volunteer community Convene a meeting of Queens Community Composters, Require MTA-LIRR to issue an RFP to Support the Borough President in Provide draft public comment for the Borough Approach NYMTC's current voting Civic Associations, Queens Borough President, compost and food scrap drop-off groups with started community compost composting group such as Astoria volunteer FSDO site hosts and Community Members, repower MP-15 locomotives to US MTA-LIRR's completion of this President on the waste supply chain analysis that members about harms from 1970's NYC Council Members, New York Metropolitan funds distributed through a nonprofit fiscal sites to present at a future Pug to present at an upcoming community composters to support QSWAB Members EPA Tier 4 Switch Duty Cycle funded locomotive repowering will be included in NYMTC's Regional Transportation locomotives, including Patrick Foye Transportation Council, Strategic Programs Office sponsor. Explore possibility of forming a dedicated QSWAB meeting to share the QSWAB meeting. the creation of a How-To Guide for emissions standards using NYS project, which will remove at least Plan/Freight Plan update, scheduled for release and - MTA CEO and Chairman, Henry of the Regional Administrators US-EPA Region II, 501c3 cooperative to allow Queens composters to process with residents in communities that currently lack appropriations in Comptroller’s 95% of this freight locomotive public comment in June 2021. The public comment Gutman - NYC DOT Commissioner, *CUNY Center for Urban Environmental Reform, better leverage their efforts to raise funds. other communities. these opportunities. Offer to host Contract #DR36644. LIRR has been pollution from community air in will support mitigation of Queens burdens from and Marisa Lago - NYC Department *NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYC-EJA), the How-to Guide on the QSWAB's given $27 million in appropriations Queens, including in neighborhoods waste export by supporting MTA-LIRR's repowering of Planning Director, and Steve *The Transdisciplinary Center on Early website. since 2013, enough to complete the identified by NYC as environmental of the New York & Atlantic Railway's high-polluting Bellone - Suffolk County Executive Environmental Exposures Icahn School of Formally honor and recognize Queens-based Recommend a formal Identify communities with low Help document Queens' volunteer Queens Borough President's repower the New York & Atlantic justice communities pursuant to 1970's Switch Duty Cycle locomotive fleet and the (the open rail cars of C&D come Medicine at Mt. Sinai, *York College CUNY volunteer cleanup and FSDO groups started in proclamation from the MGPC and Organics Diversion Rates groups' impact in future updates to Office, Volunteer Community Railway's fleet (@ $2 million per Local Laws 60 and 64. use of rail cars that seal waste inside the rail into Queens from Suffolk County, Department of Earth and Physical Sciences: response to COVID-19. Queens Borough President's and high numbers of 311 Litter calls a State of Waste in Queens report. Groups, New Groups TBD, locomotive), which is used for waste- car/waste container. Repowering locomotive fleets where waste-by-rail transfer *these organizations involved If current plans for Office honoring volunteer to help identify key community Explore ways to make it easy for QSWAB Members by-rail. to Tier 4 or cleaner emissions standards and the use stations and community impacts waste-by-rail in CD12 go forward. Queens community groups members who may wish to groups to report data to ensure of covered rail cars for waste are official NYMTC from the old locomotives are who helped keep spearhead a volunteer cleanup annual accuracy. See Farming Goals that were included in NYMTC's Plan 2018- proliferating). Quarterly reports to neighborhoods clean and group or FSDO effort with QSWAB Concrete Data Toolkit as an 2045. the Queens Borough President on diverted organic waste from support. example: (https://farmingconcrete. MTA's procurement progress. landfills during the org/barn/static/resources/DataColl pandemic. ectionToolkit.pdf). Raise awareness around established, new, and Recommend to the NYCC a Convene a meeting with NYCEDC to Document year over year growth in New York City Council, emerging Queens sustainable and zero waste special designation and explore ways in which City sustainable and zero waste NYCEDC, Queens Chamber of Support Hon. Grace Meng's Federal Work with communities where Provide quarterly reports to the Borough President Provide draft testimony and public Civic Associations, Community Boards, Queens businesses and identify opportunities to promote incentives to certify Zero purchasing could be enhanced businesses in Queens. IN Commerce, Business initiatives to completely contain high-polluting, unregulated 1970's on the progress of Hon. Grace Meng's federal comment for the Borough Borough President, NYC Council Members, DSNY, them. Waste businesses similar to through awarding contracts to zero partnership with the Queens Owners, QSWAB Members waste, blowoff, leachate, and odors in freight locomotives haul open rail initiatives, including the most recent:"Not later than President, if the FRA study is Hon, Grace Meng, Federal Railroad the MWBE certification to waste vendors. Chamber of Commerce or a similar rail cars/containers. cars of construction and demolition 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the included in pending federal Administration. increase vendor purchasing entity, survey new businesses to debris that emit waste blowoff, Administrator of the Federal Railroad legislation. opportunities for these better understand the nature of leachate, and odors (cads 5, 9, 12, Administration shall initiate a public process to seek businesses. these business, gross and net and 13, including in communities input on addressing spills, emissions, and odors and annual sales, location, target identified by NYC as environmental other public nuisances associated with top loading audiences and business needs and justice communities pursuant to rail cars, open-top hoppers, and gondolas, including challenges to ensure their long- term success. Encourage the QBP Local Laws 60 and 64) and provide evaluating the feasibility of a requirement that such to create a borough-specific Zero current information to the Borough railcars be covered while in transit, including while Waste Challenge and invite local President. being held, delayed, or transferred." businesses to participate (https: Pass NYS Assembly Bill A3269 that Work with the Queens Borough Provide a quarterly progress report on this When the bill has the sponsorship Queens Borough President, NYC Council //www1.nyc. would require containment of landfill- President and the Manhattan, legislation to the Queens Borough President. it needs, provide educational Members, Hon. Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., gov/site/sustainability/initiatives/z bound solid waste in rail cars and Bronx, and Brooklyn SWABS on the information and outreach that may Community Districts 5, 9, 12, and 13, Civic ero-waste-challenge.page). containers as part of transfer station sponsorship required to pass a bill help support its passage to associations, NYC SWABs Identify ways to incentivize, promote, and/or Work with the Queens Convene a conversation with 10-20 Highlight on the QSWAB website Queens Chamber of and transload operations. Hon. in both chambers that requires the communities in Community reward larger Queens restaurateurs (e.g., gross Chamber of Commerce and large restaurateurs to understand businesses that agree to forgo Commerce, Licensing Entities Joseph P. Addabbo sponsored S2490, use of covered rail cars/containers Districts 5, 9, 12, and 13. sales over $250K/yr) forgoing single-use plastics. the City's licensing entities as the cost of doing business to single-use plastic as the City TBD, Restaurateurs, QSWAB which twice passed in the NYS Senate that do not emit spills, waste needed to identify the purchase and dispose of emerges post-COVID. Look into the Members but A3269 has not made it out of the blowoff, leachate, or odors, and borough's largest throwaway plastic versus using possibility of creating a coupon NYS Assembly's Environmental that gets signed into law. restaurateurs. reusable tableware. book of zero waste and sustainable Conservation Committee. restaurants to encourage more Queens residents to eat at these venues.

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