The event is sponsored by Zero Waste Dutchess, Concerned Citizens of Dover, and the Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions. [note: Neil will get to Rockefeller 300 by 5:30pm– earlier if students want to talk about academic projects around Zero Waste!] Here is an introduction to his work at the Recycling Cornucopia Program for Zero Waste USA; see: https://zerowasteusa.org/recycling-cornucopia/ Neil Seldman, who has been active in Zero Waste campaigns for over 50 years, will present a 30-minute lecture on why Dutchess County should transition away from incineration and begin planning and implementation of a true recycling/composting/reuse plan towards Zero Waste. Zero Waste Planning offers a system that respects nature and the need for good jobs that pay family evel wages and benefits. Hundreds of cities and counties have started along this path with remarkable results. Closing the incinerator will stop the pollution coming from the plant which threatens the environment and public health. The presentation will feature a critique of the County's current 10-year solid waste management plant. Seldman will describe alternatives to incineration that are in operation throughout the US. Neil Seldman is a former manufacturer and professor of political science. He has co-founded the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the National Recycling Coalition, Zero Waste USA and Save the Albatross Coalition. He advises cities, counties, businesses and grass roots civic and environmental organizations. Seldman was quoted recently in the Daily Catch with his thoughts on the Dutchess County incinerator and it’s unfortunate pro-incineration Solid Waste Management Plan: https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/landfill-in-the-sky-dutchess-countys-new-solid-waste-management-plan-leaning-heavily-on-incineration-heads-to-crucial-vote-thursday/
Seldman: “Combined small recycling, composting and reuse businesses can create at least 300 new good jobs in Dutchess County: + Building deconstruction and materials resale + Electronic scrap repair and recycling + Composting and compost by products + Mattress recycling + Appliance recycling + Textile recycling + Retail thrift New Rules + Unit pricing for garbage collection + Shared savings with reuse companies + Pooled bonds program for small businesses + Resource Recovery Parks and Reuse Centers + Deconstruction Ordinance" Click here on link below for 9/12/23 Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom video of Neil Seldman of Zero Waste USA, Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning, Judy Malstrom of Zero Waste Dutchess, Jill Fieldstein of SaveDover.org, Doreen Tignanelli of the Town of Poughkeepsie, and Dave Heller of Rhinebeck– a debrief of what happened the day before-- when the Dutchess County Legislature Democratic Caucus stood strong and every Dem county legislator present voted no to the pro-incineration Solid Waste Management Plan for Dutchess (with no serious goals/plans re: increasing recycling/composting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbN6gM4n5B4 Especially of note here-- Neil Seldman starts the video talking about his work in upstate New York in Warren County (population of 130,000)-- where, together with Tracy Frisch of the Clean Air Action Network and Diane Collins of Zero Waste Warren County, they've convinced a critical mass of elected officials at county and government levels to make sure that at the town level at municipal transfer stations that metal, glass, plastics, and cardboard is separated instead of all being put into one recycling container. This means that taxpayers in Warren County will actually be able to save $200,000 a year by having those valuable recyclables baled locally and picked up by Replenysh.com to be brought to nearby paper/other mills. Currently towns governments are paying $100 a ton to have their recyclables shipped an hour away to Albany to be processed there; this model avoids that. Neil made it clear to us in this video-- KISS-- Keep It Separated Stupid (keep materials that can be recycled separated from one another-- they're much more valuable that way). Click on these 2 links for Warren County's example for Dutchess: https://www.zerowastewarrenco.org https://www.cleanairactionnetwork.org ############################################### Thx again to Mike Ewall of https://beyondburning.ejnet.org for interesting info re: Penobscot (ME) incinerator-- during our Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom last week he informed us that they’ve literally had to postpone the auction (at least once) of that incinerator above in Penobscot (ME) because no one wants it!…(it’s the same age as the Dutchess incinerator)…Wake up Dutchess— county GOP will soon enough (after the election this Nov.) be forcing you to pay for a $500 million bond to construct a gleaming new (unneeded) incinerator — literally a billion-dollar boondoggle after the bonds are paid off over 20-30 years— Neil Seldman of ZeroWasteUSA.org has read the Solid Waste Management Plan for Dutchess repeatedly — and seen this very same story play out over and over across the US— WAKE. UP. If you have time-- watch/share at least the beginning of this new video from our Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom last week on all this-- Neil Seldman of https://zerowasteusa.org spoke on all this in depth(!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbN6gM4n5B4 [Penobscot burner: https://keenanauction.com/auction.cgi?i=5217 ] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [Dutchess incinerator began operation in 1989-- roughly same time; https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/dutchess-county-solid-waste-management-plan-18282574.php ] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Be like Neil-- read Solid Waste Management Plan for Du. Co. yourself(!): https://www.dutchessny.gov//ConCalAtt/2/2023159.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ On that note, Seldman recently co-authored this piece-- "The Second Recycling Revolution" pointing out more recycling/composting facilities have been constructed in the last five years than in the previous fifty years-- because more and more municipalities across the U.S. are increasingly realizing the wisdom of the Seldman K.I.S.S. motto (avoiding the dead-end road of trying to ship materials to be recycled to China that are all messy after being mixed up together-- "commingled"). https://nrcrecycles.org/mobius/nrcwp-content/uploads/2022/12/NRC-December-2022-Newsltr-Second-Recycling-Revolution-Seldman-Kinsella-MP.docx.pdf Dutchess County, with a population more than twice that of Warren County, could obviously save upwards of half a million dollars this way working with https://replenysh.com (you may recall that just a few weeks ago Ryon Hart of Replenysh joined us for one of our weekly Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom calls-- Hart indicated a strong interest in working with Dutchess if local officials were interested-- see link below!). Instead of embarking upon that sensible path, however, as Neil Seldman points out in this video, the taxpayers of Dutchess County are well on the way to a literal billion-dollar boondoggle of epic proportions. Neil has read and re-read the recently approved Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) for the county-- and come to the conclusion (along with Tyner and others @ Zero Waste Dutchess) that the county SWMP admits that the county incinerator is falling apart and will soon need millions of dollars in new pollution controls (not just incredibly expensive to build but quite expensive to operate). Neil knows that soon enough Dutchess County government officials ideologically bound to a burn-baby-burn approach will propose a $500-million-dollar bond to build a shiny new incinerator (that will cost literally a billion dollars to pay off over the few decades needed to pay off those bonds). Neil also knows from decades of experience dealing with this issue across the U.S. that a full fifteen percent of that half a billion dollars-- a whopping $75 million-- will go to the attorneys, bond firms, et. al. in a legalized-kickback frenzy with plenty of that funding returning to the Dutchess power structure in the form of campaign contributions (Neil has seen this over and over again across the country). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEPT. 1ST MEDIA ADVISORY - NATIONALLY KNOWN ZERO-WASTE EXPERTS OPPOSE DUTCHESS SWMP; INCINERATION IS MOST COSTLY/POLLUTING WAY TO DEAL WITH SOLID WASTE 300 JOBS COULD BE CREATED INSTEAD IN RECYCLING, COMPOSTING, & REUSE Contact: Neil Seldman, Zero Waste USA: 202-607-9786 Mike Ewall, Beyond Burning: 215-436-9511 Judy Malstrom, Zero Waste Dutchess: 845-876-2488 Dutchess County citizens and organizations like Zero Waste Dutchess and Working Class Dutchess are opposed to the proposed 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan based on the environmental assessment of nationally known anti-incineration expert Mike Ewall and economic risks and opportunity costs according to Neil Seldman, Zero Waste USA. The Dutchess County Legislature’s Environmental Committee will be voting Thursday, September 7th at 5:45 pm on the proposed Plan in the Legislature’s Chambers on the sixth floor of the Dutchess County Office Building at 22 Market Street in Poughkeepsie; public comment will be allowed. Both Ewall and Seldman, well-respected analysts of solid waste management and recycling and composting systems, underscore the fact that waste incineration is the most expensive and most polluting method of disposing of municipal solid waste. “New York DEC and federal EPA data clearly shows that Dutchess County’s trash incinerator is the largest industrial air polluter in the county,” said Ewall. “The same is true for the other two trash incinerators in the Hudson Valley, all of which are run by the same company, Wheelabrator.” In 2011, when there were still eight coal-burning power plants in New York State, DEC documented that the state’s ten trash incinerators – all still operating – were far more polluting than the dirty old coal burners. “Anyone looking at that would be shocked, and cannot justify continuing to burn trash. The Dutchess County incinerator in Poughkeepsie puts out a whopping seven pounds of toxic mercury each year– literally enough to poison over 3100 lakes across the Hudson Valley and beyond, making fish in those lakes unsafe to eat– besides the 100,000 tons annually of global warming pollution that come out of that same smokestack,” said Judy Malstrom, Zero Waste Dutchess Co-Director.” “The science clearly shows that landfills are bad, but incinerating trash and landfilling toxic ash is even worse for health, climate, and environment. We know this from credible life cycle analysis studies,” said Ewall. “The county incinerator in Poughkeepsie also is the cause of well over ten million dollars a year in health problems due to its particulate emissions– we know this based on a recent analysis of a Baltimore incinerator completed by Dr. George D. Thurston of the New York University School of Medicine for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,” noted Malstrom. Seldman points out that at least 300 good jobs, with family level wages and benefits, in recycling, composting and reuse would be created by small businesses. Seldman: “This is the way to expand and strengthen the local economy and tax base by using the resources under the County’s control– jobs in reuse would include building deconstruction and materials resale, appliance repair, mattress recycling, textile refashioning, electronic scrap repair and recycling, and composting (and composting products.” “Keep It Separate Stupid!” is what Seldman says is the key to the economics of municipal solid waste management– “If you mix all the materials it becomes waste and is expensive to manage. But if you keep materials separate they become valuable resources. Each time you separate, bale and ship materials to waiting markets, you add value to the local and regional economy” Ewall and Seldman focus on the shortcomings of the Plan: It calls for more incineration by building another plant. Moreover, the composting plan it calls for is hardly adequate for the needs of the County. Nearby Ulster County and Howard County, MD have comprehensive county-wide programs fully operational. Prince George’s County, MD developed an industrial scale facility with capacity that allows it to charge fees to other jurisdictions, which bring in compostable materials. This helps amortize the government’s investment. Ulster County is a prime example of how solid waste management can progress when officials make the right decisions. Manna Jo Greene, veteran Ulster County Legislator (D-Rosendale) and former long-time Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Environmental Director, points out that because Ulster County was so firmly against garbage incineration, the industry bypassed the county and focused on Dutchess and Westchester. Citizens in those counties got stuck with decades of pollution and high costs. Malstrom concluded: “Now is the time is now for Dutchess County to catch up to the Zero Waste movement that is growing rapidly in the US and overseas.” Zero Waste principles include 90% reduction of the waste stream, no incineration, organics out of landfills and bans on dangerous products and packages, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance. Zero Waste Dutchess and Working Class Dutchess are opposed to the Plan and is calling for the County to engage a Zero Waste consulting firm to provide a detailed plan that will include phasing out the incinerator and implementing strategies that have gotten other cities and counties to 60%, 70% and 80% reduction of their respective waste stream. ############################################################# https://ilsr.org/stop-trashing-the-climate/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Many of you recently marched to end fossil fuels in NYC (which of course was a good thing)-- we only ask that you pls don't forget that right there in Poughkeepsie the Dutchess County incinerator also spews literally 100,000 tons of global warming pollution annually in CO2 equivalents (along with 7 pounds of mercury and countless other toxins including dioxins). https://www.beyondburning.org/pdf/emissions-NY-Dutchess.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Recall as well that earlier this month Seven Circles Alliance climate activists were brutally arrested for protesting at Burning Man in Nevada "Burning Man organizers estimate the festival’s carbon footprint at about 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year — equivalent to the annual emissions of 22,000 gas-powered cars." https://www.democracynow.org/2023/9/5/headlines/following_climate_protests_torrential_rain_strands_thousands_at_burning_man_festival @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ https://www.wamc.org/news/2023-09-13/dutchess-county-approves-waste-management-plan-despite-pushback-from-residents [excerpt here below; click on link above for GOP quotes] Dutchess County approves waste management plan, despite pushback from residents WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Jesse King Published September 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT The Dutchess County Legislature has voted to adopt a new Local Waste Management Plan, despite pushback from county residents. The Republican-led legislature passed the plan by a 17-7 vote Monday. The 10-year outlook was presented by Republican County Executive William O’Neil and developed by the county Division of Solid Waste Management, as required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. It serves as an update to the county’s last waste management plan in 2012. The problem, according to the eight county residents who addressed the legislature before the vote, is that the document is more of a plan to plan rather than, well, a plan. “No goals stated absolutely means no goals met," says Sandy Stratton Gonzalez, a Fishkill resident with the advocacy group Mothers Out Front. "It makes sense to have a plan to reduce waste, to have our elected officials acts as leaders, to be proactive here, and to plan actively for a cleaner future.” There are a lot of different ways one can reduce and dispose of waste. Dutchess County phased out the use of landfills in the 1990s, and has since relied on its waste-to-energy incinerator in Poughkeepsie for the vast majority of its waste disposal. The new plan stands firm in its support for incineration, although it acknowledges that waste-to-energy facilities are “an expensive endeavor” for operators, and that the current facility cannot handle all of the county’s waste, which has increased in recent years. Many speakers, however, expressed concerns about the emissions resulting from incinerators. Studies have found that incinerating waste can contribute to air pollution by releasing chemicals and particulate matter into the air. “Is there anyone in the room here who wants to breathe toxic air?" asks Rhinebeck resident Dave Heller, to a silent audience. "That’s what I thought.” Democratic Legislator Brennan Kearney says the incinerator’s output is not only an environmental concern, but a matter of economic and racial justice. “Children from lower-income communities suffer from significantly higher levels of asthma and respiratory illnesses," notes Kearney. "They deserve our advocacy, our support, and our vote against the solid waste plan”... The plan asserts that the current Wheelabrator facility adheres to strict air-quality regulations set by the state and the federal government. Still, to meet the demand, it suggests that the county consider a new-and-improved incinerator facility down the line, which would likely take years of preparation and millions of dollars in investment. It also suggests the county explore expanded uses for incinerator by-products like ash, which is currently being trucked roughly 240 miles away to serve as an alternative cover for landfills. Democratic Minority Leader Yvette Valdes Smith says she’d like to see the county reduce its waste via composting. Currently, McEnroe Organic Farm in the town of North East is the only facility in the county that accepts composting materials from both businesses and residents. Valdes Smith says three municipalities — Beacon, Rhinebeck, and Red Hook — launched composting pilot programs last year, but otherwise if residents want to compost their waste, they’re largely left to do so in their own backyards. “I truly know this, we can do this county-wide," says Valdes Smith. "We can reduce our solid waste and go and be as progressive as surrounding counties. We are better than this.” Valdes Smith suggests that the county’s peak recycling rate, 44 percent in 2019, is a sign that residents are on board. The plan itself says “the County would welcome an entity building an additional composting facility,” and would contribute to a feasibility study — but no specific timeline is included... After an unsuccessful attempt by Democratic Legislator Barrington Atkins to table the issue, the plan easily passed. All seven Democratic legislators voted against the measure, while Democrat Randy Johnson of Poughkeepsie was absent. That's not all all folks-- click here on link below for our video from last week of Neil Seldman of Zero Waste USA, Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning, Judy Malstrom of Zero Waste Dutchess, Jill Fieldstein of SaveDover.org, Doreen Tignanelli of the Town of Poughkeepsie, and Dave Heller of Rhinebeck for weekly Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom-- in this case a 9/12/23 debrief of what happened the day before-- when the Dutchess County Legislature Democratic Caucus stood strong and every Dem county legislator present voted no to the pro-incineration Solid Waste Management Plan for Dutchess (with no serious goals/plans re: increasing recycling/composting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbN6gM4n5B4 Especially of note here-- Neil Seldman starts the video talking about his work in upstate New York in Warren County (population of 130,000)-- where, together with Tracy Frisch of the Clean Air Action Network and Diane Collins of Zero Waste Warren County, they've convinced a critical mass of elected officials at county and government levels to make sure that at the town level at municipal transfer stations that metal, glass, plastics, and cardboard is separated instead of all being put into one recycling container. This means that taxpayers in Warren County will actually be able to save $200,000 a year by having those valuable recyclables baled locally and picked up by Replenysh.com to be brought to nearby paper/other mills. Currently towns governments are paying $100 a ton to have their recyclables shipped an hour away to Albany to be processed there; this model avoids that. Neil made it clear to us in this video-- KISS-- Keep It Separated Stupid (keep materials that can be recycled separated from one another-- they're much more valuable that way). Click on these 2 links for Warren County's example for Dutchess: https://www.zerowastewarrenco.org https://www.cleanairactionnetwork.org On that note, Seldman recently co-authored this piece-- "The Second Recycling Revolution" pointing out more recycling/composting facilities have been constructed in the last five years than in the previous fifty years-- because more and more municipalities across the U.S. are increasingly realizing the wisdom of the Seldman K.I.S.S. motto (avoiding the dead-end road of trying to ship materials to be recycled to China that are all messy after being mixed up together-- "commingled"). https://nrcrecycles.org/mobius/nrcwp-content/uploads/2022/12/NRC-December-2022-Newsltr-Second-Recycling-Revolution-Seldman-Kinsella-MP.docx.pdf Dutchess County, with a population more than twice that of Warren County, could obviously save upwards of half a million dollars this way working with https://replenysh.com (you may recall that just a few weeks ago Ryon Hart of Replenysh joined us for one of our weekly Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom calls-- Hart indicated a strong interest in working with Dutchess if local officials were interested-- see link below!). Instead of embarking upon that sensible path, however, as Neil Seldman points out in this video, the taxpayers of Dutchess County are well on the way to a literal billion-dollar boondoggle of epic proportions. Neil has read and re-read the recently approved Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) for the county-- and come to the conclusion (along with Tyner and others @ Zero Waste Dutchess) that the county SWMP admits that the county incinerator is falling apart and will soon need millions of dollars in new pollution controls (not just incredibly expensive to build but quite expensive to operate). Neil knows that soon enough Dutchess County government officials ideologically bound to a burn-baby-burn approach will propose a $500-million-dollar bond to build a shiny new incinerator (that will cost literally a billion dollars to pay off over the few decades needed to pay off those bonds). Neil also knows from decades of experience dealing with this issue across the U.S. that a full fifteen percent of that half a billion dollars-- a whopping $75 million-- will go to the attorneys, bond firms, et. al. in a legalized-kickback frenzy with plenty of that funding returning to the Dutchess power structure in the form of campaign contributions (Neil has seen this over and over again across the country). Mike Ewall also talked about how, if government officials don't abdicate their responsibility to be leaders and educate the public, provide enough recycling bins, production service, and pay-as-you-throw pricing incentives, those things actually serve quite effectively to exponentially ramp up recycling and composting rates towards zero waste (meanwhile, Dutchess County Executive William O'Neil pathetically throws up his hands at the Sept. 7, 2023 County Legislature Environmental Committee meeting, complaining about how people are lazy and don't want to recycle). Dutchess County deserves better. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Join Zero Waste Dutchess on Facebook too (and share!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/116408325212474 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Thanks again to Lisa Kaul, Lalita Malik, John Rahl, Darrett Roberts, Joanne Underwood, Laurie Sandow, Dave Heller (tho Dave I'm not sure I would have used that wording), many others who came out to speak up at the Co. Leg. mtg. 9/11/23 pushing for more composting/recycling instead of incineration-- and kudos to the Co. Leg. Dem caucus who voted no to the Dutchess GOP's pro-incineration Solid Waste Management Plan resolution! Click here to view public comment and discussion among county legislators from Monday night's meeting(!): https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?func=VIEW&id=dutchess&date=2023-09-11&seq=1 Onward ho to Mon. Oct. 9th-- rally with Neil Seldman of Zero Waste USA in Poughkeepsie (hopefully with Tommy Zurhellen)-- help hold the GOP majority accountable this fall during Nov. elections for consigning the people of Dutchess to the fate of decades more incineration! Kudos indeed to Co. Leg. Dem Minority Leader Yvette Valdes Smith, Assistant Minority Leader Barrington Atkins, and Co. Leg’s Brennan Kearney, Giancarlo Llaverias, Craig Brendli, Kris Munn, and Nick Page for their comments on the floor and voting no to the proposed SWMP for Dutchess which unfortunately continues the current status quo of burning about half the garbage in Dutchess(!)...thx also to my Mom (Judy Malstrom), Johanna Fallert, Jill Fieldstein, Marta Knapp, several Sierra Club members, et. al. for also coming out Sept. 7th to speak up. Click here to view public comment and discussion among county legislators from last Thursday night's meeting(!): https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?func=VIEW&id=dutchess&date=2023-09-07&seq=1 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Outraged by last night's vote?...you should be-- as always, feel free to let your feelings be known-- email countyexec@dutchessny.gov, countylegislators@dutchessny.gov, countylegislature@dutchessny.gov! [my Mom (Judy Malstrom) actually yesterday just got back a personal response from County Exec O'Neil himself!...(later this week we will share with you her response to him)] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ https://midhudsonnews.com/2023/09/12/legislature-called-illiterate-pyromaniacs-prior-to-trash-vote/ [excerpt here of article; click on link for full piece; shame on Randy Johnson] Legislature called “illiterate pyromaniacs” prior to trash vote September 12, 2023 The county still uses landfills under the solid waste plan. POUGHKEEPSIE – After hearing from eight members of the community who rallied against the adoption of the new Dutchess County Local Solid Waste Management Plan, the Republican majority voted to adopt the plan put forth by the county executive. The 10-year plan is a requirement of the New York State DEC to maintain an environmentally friendly waste management program. The previous plan was adopted in 2012. Seventeen Republicans voted in favor of the plan while seven Democrats opposed it. Democrat Randy Johnson was absent. Of the eight speakers, David Heller of Rhinebeck likened the new plan to the Flint, Michigan water pollution issue. In taking a shot at the proponents of the county incinerator, Heller called the legislature a group of “illiterate pyromaniacs.” The environmentally friendly members of the audience disagreed on ways to improve the county’s composting rate with one woman calling for the use of an anaerobic digestion system for food waste while another denounced the plan, calling for an aerobic composting system instead. The new plan calls for an increase in recycling through composting but offers no definitive goals or milestones, as pointed out by Democratic Lawmaker Craig Brendli (City of Poughkeepsie). The county currently burns 45 percent of the county’s solid waste which equates to hundreds of tons of trash at the incinerator on Sand Dock Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie. On the recycling side, in 2012, the county had a recycling rate of 36 percent. In 2022, that number had risen to 42 percent, which is higher than the state average. Minority Leader Yvette Valdés Smith voted against the plan because it fails to set goals for composting and other methods of reducing waste. “We are better than this,” she said in urging for more environmentally friendly ways to manage the waste. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Mike crunched numbers; yes landfills are bad-- but incinerators worse: http://www.energyjustice.net/files/incineration/incineration_vs_landfills.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Again-- regarding countless references made during Thursday evening's Co. Leg. Environmental Committee mtg. by O'Neil/Pulver et. al. to studies on this issue from Columbia/WTERT-- guess who pays for those studies folks-- the incinerator industry-- that is, that Columbia Univ. "scholarship" on this issue that Dutchess GOP alluded to Thurs. is literally paid for by incinerator firms like Wheelabrator (that currently manages the county incinerator for Dutchess), Covanta (which only til recently managed the county incinerator for Dutchess), et. al.(!)...don't believe me-- Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning proved this to us all-- everyone who was on our Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom yesterday a.m.-- Mike likened it to all those "scientific studies" that for decades "proved" that "tobacco cigarettes are good for our health-- expose this b.s. peeps: https://web.archive.org/web/20210918104616/https://gwcouncil.org/sponsors/ [update-- thx to John Rahl for actually bringing this up last night!] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Thx again to all who joined us for our Zero Waste Dutchess Debunk Zoom Sunday morning-- Neil Seldman of Zero Waste USA, Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning, and Doreen Tignanelli, Judy Malstrom, John Rath, and Pam Lovinger of Zero Waste Dutchess (with a reporter from a local publication part of the Zoom session posing questions as well!)....debunk and dissect pro-incineration misinformation put out by Dutchess GOP this week re: proposed Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) for Dutchess-- this one's a must-see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ4nnYJM5Bo @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Here's the zero-waste plan that Montgomery County (MD) is actually enacting there (written largely by Neil Seldman, Mike Ewall, et. al.)-- Neil Seldman recently informed us that the federal government is literally shoveling dollars out the door to help counties like Dutchess move towards zero waste by ramping up recycling/composting/reuse. Recall resolution I got passed unanimously in March 2009 thru Co. Leg. to access federal dollars for zero-waste planning for Dutchess-- O'Neil was Deputy County Exec for Steinhaus at that point-- imagine how far along Dutchess County could have been towards zero waste if O'Neil/Steinhaus/Molinaro/Serino/Rolison had actually implemented that Mar. '09 resolution passed unanimously (see below!): https://www.beyondburning.org/md/moco/beyond.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Click on these two links for our past super-informative Zero Waste Dutchess Zooms 8/29/23 and 8/22/23 with Neil Seldman of Zero Waste USA, Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning, Brenda Platt of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Manna Jo Greene of the Ulster County Legislature (former Clearwater Environmental Director), Shabazz Jackson and Josephine Papagni of Greenway Environmental Services, and Ryon Hart of Replenysh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmURuvpPYeI (8/29/23); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMkBBtAOdsw (8/22/23). @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Just how polluting is the Dutchess County Incinerator?...see here: https://www.beyondburning.org/incineration/emissions-NY-Dutchess.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ What's the impact on human health of the Dutchess incinerator?...see: https://www.beyondburning.org/incineration/healthstudies.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Incinerators aren't "waste-to-energy facilities"-- call them out on this: https://beyondburning.ejnet.org/incineration/waste-to-energy/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [update-- kudos to Dem Co. Leg. candidate/activist extraordinaire Lisa Kaul for bringing the issue below of the CLCPA up last night during her testimony in the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting!] Thx also to Ulster Co. Leg. Manna Jo Greene (former Clearwater Environmental Director) for texting me this on-target message yesterday morning-- "Dutchess should be a test case for CLCPA Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act-- bring forward experts with data; if we can stop Danskammer, which is likely, Dutchess can set a precedent for other incinerators".......on that note, we've been in contact with Environmental Dept.'s @ Vassar, Bard, Cary Institute, beyond towards building coalition with that goal; weeks ago I also contacted pro-environment dynamo Assemblymember Sarahana Shreshtha re: Dutchess incinerator/SWMP issue; all hands on deck folks-- pls reach out to other local state legislators like Michelle Hinchey, Jonathan Jacobson, Didi Barrett on this too-- the CLCPA will only be as stringent as local state legislators will force it to be (and as County Exec Wm. O'Neil proved in his comments Thursday before Co. Leg., even he is worried that the CLCPA could well turn out to eventually force operations of incinerators to be phased out sooner than later!)...state legislators can be reached at 877-255-9417 folks(!): https://www.beyondburning.org/ny/CLCPA-WasteScopingComments.pdf https://climate.ny.gov https://www.energyjustice.net/ny/ClimatePlanScopingComments.pdf https://docs.google.com/document/d/14v9x4jDTw9RNjd08r-fdRcmYSW4FBqCjLIqGyl2w7fo/mobilebasic?urp=gmail_link @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Again-- superb must-read article here by Emily Sachar on this issue in The Daily Catch: "Landfill in the Sky? Dutchess County’s New Solid Waste Management Plan, Leaning Heavily on Incineration, Heads to Crucial Vote": https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/landfill-in-the-sky-dutchess-countys-new-solid-waste-management-plan-leaning-heavily-on-incineration-heads-to-crucial-vote-thursday/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Mike Ewall recently confirmed that seven (7) pounds of mercury each year is emitted by the Dutchess Incinerator in Poughkeepsie-- enough to contaminate literally 3100+ lakes each 20 acres in size. Ewall also sent us these numbers too-- based on data reported to the state, the county-owned incinerator run by Wheelabrator in Poughkeepsie releases more pounds of health-damaging air pollution than any other facility in the county (2017 emissions data listed first-- then 2018 data): Global Warming Pollution (in tons of CO2 equivalents): 109,085; 93,554 [rest of data listed here below in pounds] Nitrogen Oxides: 296,925; 272,523 [triggers asthma attacks, chronic respiratory disease and stroke] Sulfur Dioxide: 12,890; 4,310 [triggers asthma attacks; chronic respiratory and heart diseases; stroke] Carbon Monoxide: 180,912; 137,808 Hydrochloric Acid: 4,112; 13,977 Volatile Organic Compounds: 46,418; 45,571 Particulate Matter: 589; 5,669 Chromium: 6.4; 6.2 Lead: 5.8; 4.3 Arsenic: 0.4; 0.4 Cadmium: 0.4; 0.5 [Lead and dioxins also have no “safe” level; dioxins are the most toxic chemicals known to science – 140,000 times more toxic than mercury – and incinerators are a major source: http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/ .] One of the most alarming things we recently found out about was the fact that the Baltimore incinerator was found to be the cause of literally $55 million a year in health problems. Do the math-- the Baltimore incinerator burns 2250 tons of garbage a day-- that's 821,250 tons of trash each year. The Dutchess County incinerator, according to page 19 of the "Plan" burns 149,036 tons of garbage each year-- so the Baltimore incinerator burns about five and a half times what the Dutchess incinerator burns. If the Baltimore incinerator causes $55 million worth of health problems annually and burns 5.5 times as much trash as the county incinerator in Poughkeepsie, it seems logical to deduce that the Dutchess County incinerator causes literally $10 million worth of health problems each year(!). [think Dutchess incinerator is cleaner? it isn't] https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/study-baltimore-trash-incinerator-causes-55-million-in-health-problems/ Dutchess County citizens and organizations like Zero Waste Dutchess and Working Class Dutchess are opposed to the proposed 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan based on the environmental assessment of nationally known anti-incineration expert Mike Ewall and economic risks and opportunity costs according to Neil Seldman, Zero Waste USA. Fact: Federal EPA data clearly shows that Dutchess County’s trash incinerator is the largest industrial air polluter in the county. Fact: Dutchess County could create 300 new local green jobs processing materials by recycling mattresses, appliances, textiles, composting, building deconstruction and materials resale, electronic scrap repair and recycling, composting and compost by products, and retail thrift. Neil Seldman, Zero Waste USA: 202-607-9786 Mike Ewall: Beyond Burning: 215-436-9511 Judy Malstrom, Zero Waste Dutchess: 845-876-2488 Joel Tyner, Zero Waste Dutchess: 845-464-2245 Info: zerowastedutchess@gmail.com @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ From Mike Ewall (mike@beyondburning.org [here below Mike responds to five questions from Johanna Fallert of Mothers Out Front and DCPAA re: GOP statements during Thursday's Co. Leg. Environmental Committee re: SWMP/incineration] On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 3:11PM Johanna Fallert wrote: Dutchess County Executive O'Neil raised the following points in defense of the solid waste management plan: 1. County Exec O'Neil: "The incinerator is not as polluting as the automobiles on Route 9." Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning: "This is a common distraction. Yes, if you compare one incinerator to an entire sector, such as the sum of all cars and trucks in a county or a major highway, the total traffic is usually a larger "source" -- for a handful of major ("criteria") air pollutants. In no way does this justify burning trash at a facility that is the county's #1 industrial air polluter. Sure... it's an argument for ALSO prioritizing other needed changes in our society about how we get from place-to-place, but it does not justify sticking with trash incineration when incineration is the most expensive and polluting way to manage waste or to make energy." Ewall: "These comparisons also commonly focus on the high-volume, but generally non-toxic pollutants: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter. I said "generally" because VOCs and particulate matter can be toxic. However, if we look at the highly toxic and other hazardous chemicals released into the county's air, such as dioxins/furans, arsenic, cadmium, chromium (VI), lead, mercury, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid, the incinerator is going to be a large portion of the entire amount, since these chemicals aren't common in vehicle exhaust or from burning oil or gas to heat buildings. However, trash incinerators release very serious amounts of these, and are usually #1 in any county (or close to it) for these very dangerous air contaminants, some of which bioaccumulate in the food chain, hitting people with even higher doses unless they avoid eating meat and dairy." 2. County Exec O'Neil: "The county has a B rating from the American Lung Association (one of the critics said there was another rating from this organization that is a negative)." Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning: "Yes, the latest ALA State of the Air report gives the county a 'B' rating. Better than many places, but how does this justify not aiming for an 'A' when it comes to the air we breathe? Ewall: "The ALA's 'B' rating is for only ONE pollutant: ground-level ozone. This is something that the county's incinerator contributes to, but vehicle and building heating systems would play a much larger role." Ewall: "The rating has no relation to all of the other pollutants -- toxic or otherwise -- pumped out daily by the incinerator." 3. County Exec O'Neil: "Waste-to-energy systems" (trash incinerators) were initially going to be eliminated under the CLCPA, but the state/CLCPA has backed down because they realized that this practice would, (I assume), create more landfills." Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning: "I don't know if there's any truth to this notion that incinerators were going to be eliminated under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). I'd love to see any history on that. The CLCPA Climate Scoping Plan had a waste chapter that we wrote extensive comments on because it was very biased in favor of incineration, and wrongly pretended that landfills are worse for the climate." Ewall: "That said, if we do nothing to implement Zero Waste strategies, then ending incineration DOES mean more landfilling (or emergence of even crazier ideas like different types of burning such as pyrolysis and gasification or burning in cement kilns). Landfilling is the lesser evil, and we must implement Zero Waste strategies to ensure that we have smaller, more biologically stable landfills that aren't so gassy and stinky because we'll have kept organics out and composted them, etc." 4. County Exec O'Neil: "Landfilling is more dangerous than incineration. Co. Leg Chair Gregg Pulver pulled up a quote from the EPA or DEC." Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning: "That's not true at all AND it's not even an accurate comparison because the comparison is landfilling vs. BOTH incineration and landfilling (of ash and of bypass waste that the incinerator cannot burn)." Ewall: "DEC most certainly has no studies to back up this claim. They, like all states and local governments that parrot this tune, are relying on EPA and incinerator industry claims. EPA has a waste hierarchy that places 'energy recovery' (incineration) above 'disposal' (meaning landfilling... as if incineration is not also a type of disposal). In early 2022, in a meeting I organized with EPA's waste division, they admitted that they have ZERO citations to back up the placement of incineration above landfilling in their hierarchy. In July 2022, at our request, EPA put a disclaimer on their hierarchy that indicates that they're reevaluating it based on the latest data and science. I expect this will take at least another year or two, as other processes we requested are dealt with in order to allow the agency to do any honest comparison... because they rely on a flawed model that only looks at climate impacts and screws that up with two major pro-incineration biases." Ewall: "Credible life cycle analysis studies have repeatedly shown that incineration (and landfilling ash) is substantially worse than landfilling trash directly -- mainly due to climate being the largest impact, but also because of the various toxic and otherwise harmful emissions from incineration that vastly outweigh any such emissions from landfills." 5. County Exec O'Neil: "Zero waste management is impractical. We have a disposable society, and people don't care." Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning: "We have choices. We can choose to have a disposable society or not. Increasingly, state and local governments are banning single-use plastics and are trying to regulate packaging in other ways. Much more to be done here, of course." Ewall: "Our local governments waste managers have choices. They can choose to blame the public for being lazy or they can stop being lazy themselves and can do their job by implementing the right policies and programs to educate and incentivize Zero Waste. It's been demonstrated many times over that if you give people the right tools (like recycling and composting bins), the right education on what goes where, and an economic incentive, they reduce waste dramatically." Ewall: "Pay as you throw (also named 'save as you throw' or 'unit-based pricing') is being done by 7,000+ communities around the country (might be over 10K... not sure). It involves paying per-bag or per-bin. Just like when we pay our water, gas, or electricity bills, we pay for how much we use. However, in most places, your neighbor could put out ten bags of trash a week and you put out one, and you both pay the same. It's not fair. Where places chance the pay structure so that what you're already paying (sometimes via taxes) is now apportioned so that you pay per TRASH bag, but not per recycling or composting bin, you see an instant reduction of about 44% on average, with half of that being materials going in the right bin, and the other half being source reduction and reuse -- tons that don't even have to be picked up at the curb because they're not there. This is the most effective and cost-effective way to quickly reduce waste, and where it's not being done, it's only the fault of the lazy waste managers and local politicians who aren't willing to put the right structures in place." Ewall: "Add to this curbside collection of food scraps and yard waste and you get even deeper reductions, especially if you cut trash collection back to once every two weeks and collect recycling and composting weekly. This gets the composting happening once people complain, then realize that they've been putting the 'stinky' stuff in the wrong bin." Ewall: "And to tackle another huge waste stream -- construction and demolition waste -- implement a deconstruction mandate and require a certain amount of recovered building materials in new construction and renovation, and you largely wipe out one of the largest waste steams aside from municipal solid waste (household and commercial trash)." "What about Sweden?...There was also a comment [from Pulver] about how Sweden is loving incineration." Mike Ewall of Beyond Burning: "Well, Sweden has become so reliant on incineration to heat buildings that they have to import trash to burn! They also dump their toxic ash on an island in Norway and use some of it for roads as well -- basically unlined linear landfills... a rather dangerous way to expose people to toxic chemicals without any effort to contain them. Incinerators are not magically good in Europe, despite all the hype. Europe overbuilt incineration capacity and is now regretting it, for climate and health reasons." @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Again-- read this then politely email Hank Gross of https://midhudsonnews.composing these questions below I just sent to him-- bias here unacceptable; contact him at news@midhudsonnews.com, news@statewidenews.com: https://midhudsonnews.com/2023/09/09/dutchess-county-unveils-countys-2023-local-solid-waste-management-plan-2/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Thx to Jill Fieldstein of https://www.savedover.org for this article responding to dreck/misinfo from Pulver/O'Neil et. al. Thursday about how supposedly wonderful incineration is in Europe: https://e360.yale.edu/features/in-europe-a-backlash-is-growing-over-incinerating-garbage @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ On that note recall this from Neil Seldman of https://zerowasteusa.org : https://ilsr.org/garbage-incineration-in-europe-subsidies-distort-the-market/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Thx to Doreen Tignanelli for reminding us to ask you all to email now(!): countylegislators@dutchessny.gov, countylegislature@dutchessny.gov, countyexec@dutchessny.gov-- remind them Nov. elections are coming(!) @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [so again-- here's what I sent to news@midhudsonnews.com-- follow up!] From Joel Tyner (tynerjoel@gmail.com): Hank-- omissions in piece re: SWMP Hi Hank, Please correct a number of omissions in your article based on the presentation/vote on the county SWMP during Thursday's Dutchess County Legislature Environmental Committee: https://midhudsonnews.com/2023/09/09/dutchess-county-unveils-countys-2023-local-solid-waste-management-plan-2/ "Dutchess County Unveils County's 2023 Local Solid Waste Management Plan" Article: "Development of organic composting opportunities, reduction of waste generation and continued increase of materials being recycled in Dutchess County are the focuses of the county’s 2023 Local Solid Waste Management Plan." What's Missing: This ignores the fact that the proposed SWMP plans to continue to burn 45 percent of the county’s garbage (which County Executive William O’Neil was forced to publicly admit during Thursday’s Environmental Committee meeting)– and the fact that the county incinerator in Poughkeepsie puts two tons of dioxins into the air each year– along with 100,000 tons of global warming pollution (CO2 equivalents), and seven pounds of mercury (enough to poison 3100+ 20-acre lakes in the region to make the fish too contaminated to eat). It also ignores how the County Legislature's Minority Leader Yvette Valdes Smith, Assistant Minority Leader Barrington Atkins, and Co. Leg. Kris Munn (every single Dem who was present for the meeting on the Environmental Committee) all voted no to the SWMP resolution-- and it ignores the great testimony made during the public comment period from Jill Fieldstein of SaveDover.org, Judy Malstrom of Zero Waste Dutchess, Johanna Fallert of the Dutchess County Progressive Action Alliance, several Sierra Club representatives, Lalita Malik (former long-time Dutchess County Environmental Management Council Chair), long-time activist/singer Marta Knapp et. al. Article: "The county has increased its recycling from 36 percent in 2012 to 42 percent in 20922, both above the state’s recycling rate of 19 percent and the national average of 35 percent. When construction and debris recycling is included, the county’s overall recycling rate is 50.5 percent, compared to the state’s average of 43 percent." What's Missing: This ignores the fact that San Francisco and Los Angeles have 80-percent recycling rates– and the fact that, if William O’Neil (who was a Deputy County Executive at the time) and William Steinhaus (who was County Executive at the time) had actually implemented back in 2009 two resolutions the Dutchess County Legislature passed on this issue that year (one of those was passed unanimously– for Dutchess County to apply for federal funding to move towards zero waste)-- if O’Neil and Steinhaus had actually followed through on those, the county’s recycling rate would be just as high as Frisco and L.A.’s. Article: "The new plan prioritizes expanding composting opportunities, particularly for residents. What's Missing: This ignores the fact that the SWMP has no real plans or teeth to ensure that there is more composting– even County Executive William O’Neil stated this during Thursday’s Environmental Committee meeting, foisting the responsibility for increased composting on local municipalities in his comments. https://conta.cc/462ys2D https://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2023/09/brenda-platt-exposes-proposed-dutchess.html What's Missing: Any coverage whatsoever of the press release sent out to you and other local media last Friday (Sept. 1st); see attachment. I urge you to correct your article to include the omissions above to create much more balanced coverage on this issue along the lines of this recent piece in the Daily Catch: https://www.thedailycatch.org/articles/landfill-in-the-sky-dutchess-countys-new-solid-waste-management-plan-leaning-heavily-on-incineration-heads-to-crucial-vote-thursday/ Imagine as well what Dutchess recycling rate might have been if O'Neil/Steinhaus/Molinaro had actually implemented these resolutions... [this one passed Mar. 10th 2009 in Dutchess Co. Leg.-- unanimously] RESOLUTION NO. 209072 RE: IMPLEMENTING A ZERO-WASTE APPROACH TO RESOURCE RECOVERY IN DUTCHESS COUNTY Legislators TYNER, DOXSEY, WEISS, and WASSELL offer the following and move its adoption: WHEREAS, the federal stimulus package legislation that just passed through Congress in February contains a $3.2 billion dollar appropriation for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants that were authorized by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; under Section 544, Item 10, the funds may be used for "activities to increase participation and efficiency rates for material conservation programs, including source reduction, recycling, and recycled content procurement programs that lead to increases in energy efficiency", these funds are available to counties like Dutchess County by direct application for federal block grants, and WHEREAS, this presents an opportunity for Dutchess County to get federal dollars with other area counties for collaboration on a pilot regional comprehensive zero-waste plan proposal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation similar to what has been successfully developed for the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, and WHEREAS, a zero-waste approach to resource recovery in Dutchess County will save tax dollars, create green jobs, lower carbon emissions, and help clean up local air quality; Greenway Environmental Services has provided an excellent working model of this type of intense composting and recycling approach already at Vassar and Marist colleges, and WHEREAS, a zero-waste approach to resource recovery in Dutchess County will also create a track for good-paying jobs, as the Institute for Local Self-Reliance has successfully done in Hartford and other cities across the U.S., working with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Laborers International, Sheetmetal Workers, and Teamsters, and RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature requests that the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development and Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency work with Representatives John Hall and Maurice Hinchey and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer to bring federal funding to Dutchess County by direct application for federal block grants for a new zero-waste planning approach for resource recovery, regionally if possible with other area counties, from the national stimulus package legislation passed in February containing a $3.2 billion dollar appropriation for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants authorized by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Roger Akeley, Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency Executive Director William Calogero, Ulster County Executive Michael Hein, Putnam County Executive Robert Bondi, Orange County Executive Edward Diana, President Barack Obama, United States Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressmen Maurice Hinchey and John Hall, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Governor David Paterson, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Alexander "Pete" Grannis, NYS Deputy Secretary for the Environment Judith Enck, Senators Stephen M. Saland and Vincent Leibell, Assemblymen Joel M. Miller, Kevin Cahill, Greg Ball, Marcus Molinaro, and Frank Skartados. _____________________________________________________________ [this one on 12/7/09 passed 13-11 through the Dutchess County Legislature] RESOLUTION NO. 209386 RE: REQUESTING VARIOUS COUNTY DEPARTMENTS FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DUTCHESS COUNTY GREEN RIBBON TASK FORCE ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT Legislators TYNER, DOXSEY, and WHITE offer the following and move its adoption: WHEREAS, recently the Dutchess County Green Ribbon Task Force on Solid Waste Management issued its recommendations after many months of meetings and much public input, and WHEREAS, Dutchess County's unemployment rate is still about twice what it was two years ago, with about ten thousand local residents out of work; recycling and composting (a zero-waste approach to resource recovery) creates ten times more jobs than incineration and landfilling, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and in Austin (TX), Seattle (WA), Portland (OR) and many other communities across the country a zero-waste approach has also saved tax dollars compared to a burn-or-bury approach, and WHEREAS, on a national level, over two-thirds of the materials we use are still burned or buried, despite the fact we have the technical capacity to cost-effectively recycle, reuse, or compost 90% of what we waste; the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Facility puts 3700 tons of carbon emissions into the air every year, and WHEREAS, Rockland County recycled 41,000 tons of cans, bottles, plastics, and paper last year at their Materials Recovery Facility, with a population almost identical to that of Dutchess County (about 290,000), while Dutchess County recycled only 8,000 tons of cans, bottles, plastics, and paper last year at our Materials Resource Facility, and WHEREAS, that the Dutchess County Legislature believes that the current governance arrangements for waste management in Dutchess County (basically all duties delegated to the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency) have failed on many levels, especially by virtue of the fact that costs incurred by the Resource Recovery Agency at the expense of the taxpayers are far in excess of industry standards, and therefore be it RESOLVED, that the new PLAN must evaluate and identify new and better options, such as a new Dutchess County Waste and Recycling Management Authority, or more active participation of the County's Public Works Committee or Solid Waste Commissioner, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature urges better mechanisms of oversight and transparency which are critical to the success of the PLAN and must be clearly outlined by the County's SWM consultant, and the County Legislature calls for the power of budgetary review over any new governance mechanism, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature, in light of the extraordinarily high costs, inefficiency and mismanagement recently documented at the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency, recommend that the new PLAN give careful and thorough consideration to the phasing out of the waste to energy facility over a 2-4 year time horizon and the phasing out or complete transformation for the Resource Recovery Agency over the same period of time, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature requests that the PLAN and the Consultant chosen to advise the legislature thoroughly examine the possibility of setting countywide mandated recycling goal of 70% of all municipal solid waste generated in Dutchess County by the year 2020 by substantially increasing our food waste composting infrastructure, and therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature also issues a Request for Proposals for a report from several nationally known zero-waste experts who have indicated an interest in helping Dutchess County on this, for detailed cost analysis and implementation outlines for a Dutchess County Zero-Waste Pilot Program to be implemented as soon as possible, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature authorizes the development of several pilot programs around the county, dedicated to the advancement of research and assess the feasibility of a cutting edge zero-waste program for Dutchess County, and the creation of an eco-industrial resource recovery park to create jobs recycling current resources that are disposed of: food waste, fats, oils, greases, glass, electronic scrap, mattresses, and construction and demolition debris, and RESOLVED, that the Dutchess County Legislature requests that the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency work with the Dutchess County Sheriff, Dutchess County Environmental Management Council, Dutchess County Supervisors and Mayors Association, Dutchess County Small Business Committee, and others to make sure recycling bins for cans and bottles and office paper are placed next to all trash receptacles in the county, and make sure that, as county law and the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency website states, that "the following materials are required to be kept separate from trash: office paper (copy paper, stationery, computer paper, ledger), newspaper, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars (clear, brown and green colored); metal cans (tin/bi-metal/aluminum); aluminum pie plates and foil; PETE and HDPE plastic containers (except automotive product containers), and major appliances, tires, yard debris," and be if further RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Dutchess County Executive, Dutchess County Solid Waste Commissioner, Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency, Dutchess County Environmental Management Council, Dutchess County Sheriff, and Dutchess County Association of Supervisors and Mayors. ############################################################## Watch video from Thursday's Co. Leg. Environmental Committee mtg.-- https://totalwebcasting.com/view/?id=dutchess @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ And-- click on this link for Shabazz Jackson’s amazing presentation here 9/5/23 to Hurley Town Board to transform their town transfer station to a zero-waste/food waste composting station!…Shabazz is already successfully doing this in New Paltz (even Dutchess County Exec Bill O’Neil himself was forced to publicly admit this in his comments last night to Co. Leg.’s)— this is the local self-reliant model that Town of Clinton, Town of Rhinebeck, and a dozen other municipal transfer stations across Dutchess should follow — along with the rest of NY/US!…Dutchess GOP last night said openly that they were considering helping fund something like this for towns across the county — SHOW US THE MONEY— WHY ISN’T THIS IN THE PROPOSED SWMP FOR DUTCHESS?…come out and ask that question and more this Monday 9/11 @ 7 pm— speak out during public comment period before the Republican Co. Leg. majority once again rubber-stamps the toxic pro-incineration Solid Waste Management Plan for Dutchess!...see: https://www.townofhurley.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif7651/f/news/greenway_presentation.pdf @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ From Mike Ewall (mike@beyondburning.org): Regarding the press release from Dutchess County Executive William O'Neil-- they use the term "waste-to-energy" in the title. It's important to not repeat that unscientific PR term without debunking it. See https://beyondburning.org/incineration/waste-to-energy/ I'll debunk their two paragraphs on incineration: Fact: There are no benefits of incineration (and landfilling ash) over directly landfilling trash other than space savings. It's not the size of landfills that makes them dangerous, but the toxicity. Placing most of the waste in the air is not an improvement, but is proven to be far more harmful for climate, health, and environment. Life cycle assessments done for several communities such as Washington, DC, Montgomery County, MD, Delaware County, PA, and Big Island, HI proved this repeatedly. O'Neil/GOP: "...the disposal option many counties throughout New York State utilize..." Fact: Most NY counties are not using incinerators, despite that NY has more than any other state (ten of them). The state also has about 25 landfills, if I recall the number right. O'Neil/GOP: "Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency's (RRA) waste-to-energy facility was built in the 1980s, under the direction of past County Executive Lucille Pattison, to end the County's dependence on landfills." Fact: Incinerators never "end" dependence on landfills. They just increase the toxicity of landfills by sending ash instead of trash. For every 100 tons burned, about 30 tons of ash are generated and landfilled. The rest of the trash goes out the smokestack in the form of steam and air pollution. O'Neil/GOP: "Today, there are no operating landfills in Dutchess County. Landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that has a global warming potential of more than 80 times that of carbon dioxide in its first 20 years and 25 times greater over the course of 100 years." Fact: The 25x figure is very outdated science. Should be 27-30x based on the latest climate science. Nonetheless, as bad as methane is, much of the carbon going into a landfill stays put and doesn't readily break down, such as the carbon in plastics and wood. This mainly stays sequestered, which is better than pumping all of the carbon directly into the air, which incineration does. Even using the latest climate science and the higher methane potency over 20 years, credible life cycle assessments show that incineration is still more harmful for the climate than landfilling, even if no gas is captured at the landfill -- but most landfills capture and burn the gas, converting methane back to CO2, which is about 82 times less potent over a 20-year time frame. O'Neil/GOP: "New York State greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector represent about 12 percent of statewide emissions; with landfills making up 78 percent of that total." Fact: This is based on flawed models that don't count most of the GHGs from incineration. There are also more than twice as many landfills as incinerators in the state, so not an apples-to-apples comparison in the first place. O'Neil/GOP: "Those statistics do not account for the additional emissions from long-haul trucking to haul waste to landfills." Fact: Studies have documented that transportation is a tiny fraction of the impacts of a waste system -- so small that no real-life truck hauling distance can overcome the gap between choosing incineration over landfilling. Incineration is worse even if hauling many hundreds of miles to a landfill. O'Neil/GOP: "The RRA's waste-to-energy facility incinerates 140,000 to 150,000 tons of solid waste each year, producing enough electricity for the energy grid to power approximately 10,000 homes." Fact: This is a tiny amount of electricity compared to any normal power plant. Also, by destroying materials that could be recycled or composted, incinerators waste more energy than they "create." Recycling and composting the same materials would save 3-5 times more energy than an incinerator can get back by burning them. O'Neil/GOP: "Additionally, 4,000 to 6,000 tons of ferrous metals are recovered each year." Fact: Yes, but this modest about of metals recycled out of the ash doesn't justify burning. It's an argument for doing better recycling up-front. O'Neil/GOP: "The RRA's incineration is closely monitored..." Fact: Not true at all. Only three pollutants are continuously monitored. About another ten are monitored just once a year and all are monitored by the facility itself or their contractors. There is no independent monitoring, and the lack of continuous monitoring grossly underestimates the amount actually released because they only are allowed to do their annual test under idealized operating conditions. O'Neil/GOP: "...to ensure operations adhere to strict national air quality regulations. The RRA's operations are well within or below the state and federal emission limits." Fact: The state and federal emissions limits are weaker than for new incinerators, weaker than standards in other countries, and are 16 years out-of-date. EPA is supposed to update the standards every 5 years and had to be sued to update them recently -- a court ordered that they come up with new standards by the end of this year, but that won't take effect for at least another year and an industry lawsuit is working to delay it... a lawsuit brought by the Waste to Energy Association, which I believe DCRRA is probably a member of (as is Wheelabrator / WIN Waste). Also, permit limits do not mean "healthy and safe." They are technology-based standards, and staying within limits doesn't mean there are not health impacts from the pollution released. O'Neil/GOP: "Independent studies have shown human health is not adversely affected by waste-to-energy facilities." Fact: Other studies show the opposite. I've documented this in a factsheet a couple years ago. See: https://www.beyondburning.org/incineration/healthstudies.pdf O'Neil/GOP: "...and these facilities play a key role as a part of an environmentally sound system, according to the report " The Scientific Truth about Waste to Energy," a 2021 review of scientific industry studies conducted by the City College of New York's Grove School of Engineering which provides an exhaustive assessment of waste-to-energy processes' influences on public and environmental health and was peer-reviewed by subject matter experts from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, North Carolina State University, and State University of New York-Stony Brook, among others" Fact: That report is written by the "tobacco scientists" of the incineration industry -- an outfit funded by Wheelabrator and Covanta plus other incinerator industry players to pump out pro-incinerator "academia." It's an outfit called the Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council (WTERT) and is now part of a Global WTERT Council, still run by academic/industry folks at Columbia University and CCNY. I went to their conference last year and have been onto them for decades. See https://wtert.org Outfits like this exist to get gullible reporters to quote them as if they're objective without disclosing that they're just industry-funded mouthpieces. They seem to have removed their page listing their corporate sponsors. It's probably in archive.org. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Recall-- last October Mike Ewall actually convinced 273 other organizations-- including the Sierra Club, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Food & Water Watch, Democratic Socialists of America (Lower Hudson Valley), KingstonCitizens.org, Don't Trash the Catskills, Judith Enck's Beyond Plastics organization, Sane Energy Project, Coaltion to Protect NY, Syracuse Cultural Workers, The Story of Stuff Project-- to sign on to Mike's letter to the White House Council on Environmental Quality about EPA's bad policies relating to waste incineration-- this is crucial in Dutchess because DCRRA and Dutchess GOP for decades now have hidden behind the EPA's pathetic standards re: incineration; click here(!): http://www.energyjustice.net/incineration/2022CEQletter.pdf Fact: His work (that letter) is having impact(!)...media coverage here on it: https://www.wastedive.com/news/epa-lawsuit-incinerator-wte-emissions-standards-consent-decree/651627/ https://www.wastedive.com/news/epa-waste-hierarchy-incineration-landfill-warm/634166/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Fact: This summer was the hottest ever-- and the Dutchess County Incinerator in Poughkeepsie puts 100,000 tons of global warming pollution (CO2 equivalents) into the air each year; incineration is far more costly and polluting than landfilling (or any other kind of energy!): https://www.beyondburning.org/incineration/factsheet.pdf https://www.commondreams.org/news/hottest-summer-ever-2023 https://www.commondreams.org/news/co2-concentration-in-atmosphere @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ From Doreen Tignanelli (Doreentig@aol.com) of the Town of Poughkeepsie: Wed, Sep 6, 3:06 PM (15 hours ago) Public comment I submitted re: Dutchess Co proposed Local Solid Waste Management Plan Public comment I sent to the DC Legislature and County Exec today: [note from me (JT)-- send your own!...to countyexec@dutchessny.gov, countylegislature@dutchessny.gov, countylegislators@dutchessny.gov!] "I request that my comments be included for the record regarding Adoption of Dutchess County's Local Solid Waste Management Plan. I urge the Dutchess County Legislature's Environmental Committee, and the legislature as a whole, to reject the proposed 10-year Local Solid Waste Management Plan. The fact that Option 2 of the plan considers building a new waste-to-energy facility to be the best choice for the future is alarming and will unnecessarily cost county taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, the county appears to have limited vision when it comes to waste management. The county dismissed my prior public comment on the draft plan with the response that zero waste and/or reducing waste was "not a realistic option". Contrast this with Ulster County whose many options include waste reduction, reuse, repair, recycling and composting. Dutchess County seems to be satisfied with doing business the same, outdated way they have over the 33 years the facility has been in operation in spite of the fact that we now know that increased greenhouse gas emissions worsen climate change and have health impacts including respiratory illnesses. While the plan claims that the waste-to-energy facility is "environmentally sound", that is suspect and it is disturbing that the County apparently has relied on the operator, Wheelabrator, to conduct testing which is like the fox guarding the henhouse. An article in the August 8, 2023 Times Union referenced a study that identified the Dutchess County facility as one of the most polluting incinerators in the United States. That study also stated that the facility ranked in the "dirty dozen" for emissions of mercury and carbon monoxide. Yet, the county plan calls for business as usual. There is an insignificant offer to "contribute to a study" regarding composting. This would be yet another study as there was a 2017 Organics Recycling Study for Dutchess County, with Lindsay Carille, Deputy Commissioner, Division of Solid Waste Management on the Steering Committee. That study noted the potential to divert approximately 40,000 tons of organics from the county's solid waste stream which would allow the county to meet its solid waste management goals. It also stated "The goal of Dutchess County’s LSWMP is to consider solid waste as a resource, instead of garbage. As was detailed in this study, organics are well-suited to being used as a resource, as organics recycling has the additional benefits of stewardship and education, generating revenue, job creation, energy generation, creation of value-added products, GHG emission reductions, and food donation for those in need." Unfortunately, six years have gone by with little to no progress on the study's recommendations so the County's offer to contribute to another study rings hollow. County residents deserve better and ending incineration should be the main goal of the 10-year plan. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ From Jill Fieldstein (jillfieldstein@gmail.com) of https://www.savedover.org Wed, Sep 6, 6:18 AM (1 day ago) "We are experiencing record breaking high temperatures, extreme weather has become the new normal, wildfires are growing in intensity — all phenomena directly resulting from human activity that releases heat-trapping greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. It is, therefore, alarming that Dutchess County is even considering a trash management plan that will contribute to these earth-killing conditions. Trash incineration releases 2.5 times more CO2 than a coal-burning power plant, not to mention the mercury and other toxins that pollute our water and food supplies. Dutchess County should “trash” its incineration proposal and put its focus on recycling, composting and other trash management efforts that moves us toward zero waste. Jill Fieldstein, Concerned Citizens of Dover (savedover.org)." @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Manna Jo Greene (Ulster County Legislator D-19, former Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Environmental Director): "We have long been concerned about the emissions from the Dutchess County incinerator, especially as an environmental justice issue. In addition to exacerbating respiratory illness, these emissions also include an array of greenhouse gases. Given the worsening global climate crisis, the practice of burning garbage is ill-advised and should be discontinued. Waste reduction, reuse, repair, recycling and composting minimize waste. If you maximize waste diversion, and reduce odors and toxicity, siting a local landfill becomes easier and is most economical. We urge the Duchess County Legislature to close the incinerator and adopt a plan to ensure truly sound Solid Waste Management." @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Click here for Manna Jo Greene's great PowerPoint on this issue-- Dutchess would do well to follow plans for Ulster County laid out here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eaHzI6oGt0zUDQsYat1MJYom_v5l4x17/view?usp=drivesdk#@ Pls join/share Zero Waste Dutchess on FB(!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/116408325212474 ############################################################# Petition is here (feel free to make a new one, all!...only six folks signed on to this so far) https://www.change.org/p/adopt-zero-waste-goal-for-dutchess-contract-zero-waste-expert-close-county-incinerator ############################################################# Again-- I recently found this amazingly informative and up-to-date article on Neil Seldman from this June not just about him-- but also state-of-the-art practices in recycling/composting towards zero waste away from incineration-- that should be being embraced by Dutchess and all over(!): "Decades-Long Zero Waste Guru Shares Stories and Insights" https://www.waste360.com/waste/decades-long-zero-waste-guru-shares-stories-and-insights @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [note: here's a video recording of our super-informative Zero Waste Dutchess Zoom from Aug. 29th with Shabazz Jackson, Manna Jo Greene, Neil Seldman, & Mike Ewall-- well worth your while to watch/share this(!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmURuvpPYeI ] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [again-- update-- my Mom (Judy Malstrom) personally spoke with many folks at Saturday's Community Day in the Town of Clinton-- quite a few of them didn't even know the county incinerator in Poughkeepsie existed!...for reminder of how foolish and destructive incineration is, see: http://www.energyjustice.net/incineration/ ] @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ As Brenda Platt of the Institute of Local Self-Reliance points out, despite all the lip service Dutchess County officials are engaging in re: composting, the actual wording of the SWMP proves their hypocrisy in spades: https://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com/2023/09/brenda-platt-exposes-proposed-dutchess.html [media coverage thus far on this: with aforementioned lip service on this: https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/news/article/dutchess-county-solid-waste-management-plan-18282574.php ] Of course, perhaps the most important reason for the Co. Leg. Dems (and GOP for that matter) to reject the SWMP (resolution #2023159) is because it not only continues to support the toxic county incinerator-- it actually proposed to expand its operations(!). [don't believe me-- read the SWMP with your own eyes; see for yourself: https://www.dutchessny.gov//ConCalAtt/2/2023159.pdf ] By way of contrast, compare Montgomery County/MD's amazing zero-waste plan already being enacted there-- click here to read this awesome example for exactly what Dutchess County should be doing: http://www.energyjustice.net/md/beyond.pdf https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SWS/master-plan.html Note-- Montgomery County's contract with Wheelabrator to run the incinerator there runs out in April 2026-- so they've implemented a zero-waste plan to make incineration there obsolete Fact: Dutchess County's contract with Wheelabrator to run the county incinerator in Poughkeepsie runs out in 2027-- see examples here of counties across the US that are in the process of ending their incineration contracts w/Wheelabrator and moving towards zero waste: https://www.epa.gov/transforming-waste-tool/how-communities-have-defined-zero-waste [there is absolutely no excuse for Dutchess County not to follow these!] Fact: Minneapolis' contract with Great River Energy to run the incinerator there runs out at the end of 2025-- so they've implemented a zero-waste plan to make the incinerator there obsolete. Fact: Westchester County's contract with Wheelabrator to run their incinerator in Peekskill runs out in 2029-- so Vanessa Agudelo, Mike Ewall, WASS, et. al. are developing a zero-waste plan to make incineration there obsolete-- and publicly recognizing current local elected officials and candidates who are working with them. https://www.facebook.com/WASSPeekskill Fact: The Wheelabrator incinerator in Portsmouth/VA shut down before its contract was done(!). https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/portsmouth/large-fire-damages-wheelabrator-waste-facility-portsmouth-virginia/291-57b0b85d-1cbe-4e18-8da3-a9b5ab44b74e Fact: The Dutchess County incinerator in Poughkeepsie was constructed in the 80's and started operation in 1989-- it's 34 years old. According to Mike Ewall, "Between 2000 and 2022, 48 trash incinerators in the U.S. closed for good. Their average age when they closed was just 24. Despite hundreds of attempts to build new waste incinerators, no new incinerator has been built at a new site since 1995. However, one major new incinerator was built adjacent to an existing incinerator in West Palm Beach, Florida, and a handful of others were rebuilt or expanded. The trend is toward incinerators closing as they age. Few have made it to or past their 40th birthday." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [also-- according to page 11 of the DCRRA's annual report from last Dec., it would seem that "other operating expenses" in 2022 totaled over $9 million-- I'm guessing all of that went to Wheelabrator to run the county incinerator in Poughkeepsie and/or deal with the toxic ash-- but I don't know...for weeks now I've asked county legislators, the County Exec, DCRRA, and the Deputy Solid Waste Commissioner to look into this issue and respond to my emails and calls on this-- thus far I have received no response yet, pathetically-- your turn folks-- use the email addresses above to pose this question yourself-- see for yourself(!): http://www.dcrra.org/reports/Annual_Report_2022.pdf ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Note(!): new-- from mike@beyondburning.org (Mike Ewall)-- "I just updated the stats on the age of incinerators that have closed since 2000. There are now 50 closed, not 45, and their average age at closure now rounds up to 25 years. This isn't based on federal data, but on analysis of various data sources, some of which is federal data, and much of which is keeping up with the news on the industry. Find the latest factsheet on this here: https://www.beyondburning.org/incineration/closures.pdf "
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