Good afternoon, Chair Abreu and thank you for holding this hearing today. I know that it’s rare to get more than one hearing on a topic in such a short timeframe, and I really appreciate you giving this level of attention to Commercial Waste Zones. This is especially necessary given the lack of information from DSNY about their intentions for fully implementing the program.
While we never envisioned a pilot program in the CWZ legislation, I was pleased to hear that the pilot zone, Queens Central, was a success by many accounts. I appreciate DSNY providing my office with regular updates, which is how I know that at this time, all businesses are signed up with a carter and the zone is functioning as intended.
However, I also learned some concerning information – of the three assigned carters in Queens Central, two have already received $2,500 penalties for reaching an excessive number of safety violations in a short timeframe. While on one hand, this indicates that DSNY is doing its job with increased enforcement in the zone, it also speaks to the fact that the industry is still in need of a major culture shift that won’t happen until all 20 zones are fully implemented.
There are also outstanding questions regarding critical components of CWZ such as improved labor practices, increased diversion rates, reduction in vehicle miles traveled, and upgrades to the fleets. However, I am reticent to judge the program based on observation from a short time in one area, because again, the real impacts will be felt when the program is operating citywide.
Which begs the question about next steps. I’m not the only one who has been patiently waiting for DSNY to provide information about its intentions for rolling the program out. Carters contact my office frequently telling me they need to know what to expect about when their business will shut down (if they weren’t awarded a zone) or when they need to make new investments (if they were). Additionally, we know that due to industry consolidation, at least one zone needs to be reopened for a new carter to be added, yet we’ve heard nothing about whether this has happened and if so, what carter DSNY selected.
Today’s economy is unpredictable enough, and these small businesses deserve clarity on what their future holds.
Meanwhile, the delayed implementation has meant more unnecessary vehicle miles traveled (VMT), more unsafe working conditions for transfer station employees, and more dangerous trucks on our streets. DSNY has referenced issues with budget and staffing as an impediment to program expansion but has yet to respond to specific questions about these needs as Chair Abreu requested at the budget hearing in March. DSNY: help us help you!
Before I get into the specific legislation being heard today, I want to address two more outstanding points that we’ve discussed at length but that remain problematic. First, I am deeply concerned that Cogent remains on the awardee list and that BIC and DSNY have not collectively figured out a way to pull their license, given their egregious issues with environmental practices and worker safety. Second is regarding Intro 55, which would allow commercial carters to tip at the Marine Transfer Stations (MTSs). DSNY testified at the budget hearing that there is “no interest” from the carters in doing so, but I know for a fact that that’s not true. I heard directly from a carter who said they expressed intent to tip at an MTS in their RFP response, which would be in line with the CWZ program’s intent to reduce VMT and utilize facilities that comply with labor standards. Yet this company was not selected, and they speculate it was due to the cost of tipping at an MTS. I would appreciate more honesty and transparency from DSNY on this issue.
Regarding the bills being heard today:
Intro 1228 would expand the types of businesses required to source separate organics. I fully support this effort, which would help divert food waste from landfill, and also appreciate the Council exempting food waste that can be salvaged for donation. Tying this mandate to CWZ only creates a stronger incentive for DSNY to implement the program in full.
Intro 784 would create a tracking system for disposal of yellow and brown grease. The goal is to deter both illegal disposal and theft. I would like to see the language be a bit more specific to create a “chain of custody” tracking requirement – tracking from the source, through collection, and ultimately to disposal.
Thank you again for holding this hearing today. Let’s work together to get this done.