The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has released a Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for its Commercial Waste Zones plan, the next necessary step to implement a comprehensive overhaul of the city’s private carting industry. The plan is a blueprint to reform, reroute and revitalize the city’s private carting industry over the next three years.
While DSNY collects trash and recycling from residential buildings, more than 90 different private carters crisscross the city each night to service the city’s 100,000 commercial businesses, driving long, overlapping and unsafe routes, DSNY says in a press release. The plan, created through extensive stakeholder engagement, will bring reform to the commercial waste industry in the city.
“Today, we take a meaningful next step toward the implementation of Commercial Waste Zones in New York City,” says Acting Sanitation Commissioner Steven Costas in a press release. “This draft Environmental Impact Statement is the result of thorough review and analysis, and it shows that Commercial Waste Zones will have clear benefits for New York City. We look forward to receiving comments and feedback over the next month and working with city council to enact legislation authorizing this important program.”
The draft impact statement is used to assess the possible impacts of the plan in a number of crucial areas. Of note, the study found that under the proposed Commercial Waste Zone Plan:
private carting trucks will travel 50 percent fewer miles on an annual basis, leading to a healthier and safer city;
diverted recyclables and organics are projected to increase significantly to 44 percent of the total waste stream from 25 percent today; and
the carting industry’s total operational expenses are anticipated to be reduced by an estimated $14 million, leading to lower costs for businesses across New York City.
The increase in recycling and organics diversion will create 165 additional jobs in recycling sorting and processing, which DSNY says will make up for employment loss in the carting industry as a result of collection efficiencies. DSNY says it will work with carting companies, recycling firms and organized labor to connect any displaced workers with new jobs in these industries.
DSNY will host two public hearings on the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement in March. It will also accept written comments until 5 p.m. March 25. Following the public comment period, the department will review all comments and feedback before issuing a final Environmental Impact Statement. DSNY says it will also work with city council to pass needed legislation. Next year, the department will select carters to service zones via a competitive solicitation process, which will be followed by a multi-year customer transition.
The Plan and DEIS are available at http://nyc.gov/commercialwaste.