New Jersey Institute of Technology Digital Commons @ NJIT Theses Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 5-31-2003 Fresh kills dumped : a policy assessment for the management of New York City's residential solid waste in the twenty-first century Aaron William Comrov New Jersey Institute of Technology Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses Part of the Sustainability Commons Recommended Citation Comrov, Aaron William, "Fresh kills dumped : a policy assessment for the management of New York City's residential solid waste in the twenty-first century" (2003). Theses. 615. https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/615 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ NJIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ NJIT. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Please Note: The author retains the copyright while the New Jersey Institute of Technology reserves the right to distribute this thesis or dissertation Printing note: If you do not wish to print this page, then select “Pages from: first page # to: last page #” on the print dialog screen The Van Houten library has removed some of the personal information and all signatures from the approval page and biographical sketches of theses and dissertations in order to protect the identity of NJIT graduates and faculty. ASAC ES KIS UME: A OICY ASSESSME O E MAAGEME O EW YOK CIYS ESIEIA SOI WASE I E WEYIS CEUY b Arn Wll Crv New York City ceased disposing of its daily residential solid waste output within its municipal borders in March 2001 when the Department of Sanitation completed its phase-down of the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. The closure of this facility has, for the first time in history, stripped New York City of its waste management self- sufficiency, created a situation in which municipal officials are reliant on private firms and other governmental jurisdictions for disposal services, and contributed to deteriorating fiscal, environmental, political, economic, social and practical conditions. Consequent and concurrent to this predicament, a multitude of alternative policies have been suggested by different interests, yet after two years New York City still finds itself without a workable garbage disposal policy. This thesis judges these alternative plans based on technical criteria and identifies the best option for moving forward. The conclusion couples this recommendation with an effective waste-reduction scheme and analyzes the combined proposition within the context of New York City's political climate. FRESH KILLS DUMPED: A POLICY ASSESSMENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF NEW YORK CITY'S RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by Aaron William Comrov A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Policy Studies Department of Humanities and Social Sciences May 2003 APPROVAL PAGE FRESH KILLS DUMPED: A POLICY ASSESSMENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF NEW YORK CITY'S RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Aaron William Comrov Dr.Maurie Coe esis Aiso ae Assisa oesso o Eiomea oicy Suies I acy ackso; Commiee Meme ae Associae oesso o Eiomea oicy Suies I e ae Commiee Meme ae Assisa oesso o Eiomea oicy Suies I BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Author: Aaron William Comrov Degree: Master of Science Date: May 2003 Undergraduate and Graduate Education: • Master of Science in Environmental Policy Studies New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, 2003 • Bachelor of Arts in Geography University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1999 Major: Environmental Policy Studies This project is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Elana. Without her unwavering support, continuous inspiration and loving devotion, this thesis would not have been possible. This project is also dedicated to my family — our interest in garbage spans generations. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Maurie Cohen, who served a s my research advisor throughout this project. Dr. Cohen's constant encouragement, insight and suggestions provided me not only with clear guidance, but also the vitality to tackle such a monumental task. Particular thanks are due to Dr. Nancy Jackson and Dr. Brett Baden, who served as members on my review committee. Individuals who were invaluable to my research efforts are former Department of Sanitation officials Benjamin Miller and Thomas Outerbridge, Vivian S. Toy of The New York Times, and Nancy Anderson, Senior Environmental Policy Advisor in the Office of Policy Management for the New York City Comptroller. Their help was very useful and they provided information that I would not have been able to acquire anywhere else, and for this I am deeply thankful. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1 A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE NYC TRASH PROBLEM 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Early Disposal Methods 2 1.2.1 Ocean Dumping 2 1.2.2 Incineration 3 1.2.3 Landfilling 4 1.3 Later Disposal Methods 5 1.3.1 The Rise and Fall of Fresh Kills 5 1.4 Planning for Post-Fresh Kills 7 1.4.1 Outside Opposition 10 1.4.2 Initial Giuliani Plan 10 1.4.3 Second Giuliani Plan 12 1.5 Recent Developments 14 1.5.1 Bloomberg Incineration Proposal 15 1.5.2 Bloomberg Retrofit Plan 16 2 SOLID WASTE POLICIES IN NORTH AMERICAN CITIES: THREE CASE STUDIES 17 2.1 Regional Disposal Methods 17 2.2 The Solid Waste Policies of Three Cities 19 2.2.1 Los Angeles 20 2.2.2 Phoenix 23 2.2.3 Seattle 26 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter Page 2.3 Comparison to NYC 30 3 ASSESSING ALTERNATIVE PLANS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF NYC'S SOLID WASTE 33 3.1 Solid Waste Legislative Framework in NYC 33 3.2 Devising New Disposal Schemes 34 3.2.1 The Emergence of Alternative Plans 35 3.3 Categories of Alternative Plans 36 3.3.1 New York City Mayoral Administration Plans 36 3.3.2 Reports from NYC Government Agencies, an NGO and a University 43 3.3.3 Informal Plans 53 3.3.4 The "No Action" Scenario 56 3.4 Characteristics of the Plans 58 4 RANKING THE ALTERNATIVE SOLID WASTE PLANS 61 4.1 Criteria for Judging the Plans 62 4.1.1 Financial Analysis 63 4.1.2 Inherent Technological Flexibility 68 4.1.3 Technological Feasibility 72 4.1.4 Administrative Controllability 74 4.1.5 Environmental Performance 77 4.2 Combined Ranking of Plans 80 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter Page 5 WASTE REDUCTION IN NYC 83 5.1 Introduction to Waste Reduction 83 5.2 NYC Waste Reduction Initiatives 86 5.2.1 Recycling Program 87 5.2.2 Composting 90 5.2.3 Waste Prevention Programs 93 5.3 NYC Waste Reduction Scorecard 97 6 INNOVATIVE WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND THEIR APPLICABILITY TO NYC 98 6.1 Innovative Waste Reduction Strategies 98 6.1.1 Pay-As-You-Throw 99 6.1.2 Extended Producer Responsibility 104 6.1.3 Grassroots Efforts 109 6.2 Best Waste Reduction Option 110 7 CONCLUSION: THE POLTICS OF A NEW COMPREHENSIVE MSW MANAGEMENT PLAN IN NEW YORK CITY 112 7.1 Lessons from Other Cities 112 7.2 Political Feasibility 114 7.2.1 Three Plans Minus One 113 7.3 Political Considerations 114 7.3.1 Reopen Fresh Kills 115 ix TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Chapter Page 7.3.2 Columbia University Plan 117 7.4 Combining the Columbia Plan with PAYT 123 7.5 A Complete Plan 125 7.6 A Final Thought 127 APPENDIX CALCULATIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE PLANS 129 REFERENCES 139 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3.1 Overview and Characteristics of Plans 59 4.1 Financial Assessment of Alternative Plans 65 4.2 Flexibility in Adapting to Technological Changes/Innovations 69 4.3 Technological Feasibility 73 4.4 Administrative Controllability 75 4.5 Environmental Performance 78 4.6 Final Ranking of Alternative Plans 82 xi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 MTS Locations and Fresh Kills Landfill 9 7.1 New York State Map Depicting WTE Sites and Canal System 119 xii IS O AEIAIOS APWA American Public Works Association BFI Browning Ferris Industries, Inc. CNAD Center for a New American Dream DOS Department of Sanitation (New York City) DSD Duales System Deutschland EBUF Enclosed Barge Unloading Facility EI Empowerment Institute EPA Environmental Protection Agency (United States) EPR Extended Producer Responsibility ETP EcoTeam Program EU European Union IBO Independent Budget Office (New York City) LA Los Angeles LABOS Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation LULUs Locally Undesirable Landuses MFTA Materials for the Arts MGP Metal, Glass, Plastic MRF Materials Recovery Facilities MSW Municipal Solid Waste MTS Marine Transfer Station NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement NGO Non-Governmental Organization NIMBY Not in My Backyard NJ New Jersey NJDEP New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection NYC New York City NYCHA New York City Housing Authority OWN Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods PAYT Pay-As-You-Throw PCSD President's Council on Sustainable Development RBRC Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act SDLAC Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County SEC Sanitation Equipment Charge SPU Seattle Public Utilities SR State Route SRISFP Solid Resources Infrastructure Strategy Facilities Plan SWMP Solid Waste Management Plan TPD Tons Per Day TPY Tons Per Year TTT Turn the Tide WMX Waste Management, Inc.