Good morning and thank you Chairs Abreu and Won and members of the committees for holding this hearing today. My name is Lacey Tauber and I’m here representing Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, to discuss both DSNY’s containerization rollout and ongoing efforts to keep food waste out of our landfills.
Containerization
Borough President Reynoso agrees that containerization is smart and necessary policy, and he has been advocating for it since he was Chair of the Council’s Sanitation Committee. However, he has concerns with DSNY’s plan as it currently stands; specifically, that it is too broad, was rolled out too quickly, and has the potential for unintended consequences that will impact our streetscapes and quality of life.
In April of last year, DSNY released its Future of Trash report, prepared by consultancy McKinsey. The report stated that, “containerization is not a one-size-fits-all solution.” It reported that 50% of the city is appropriate for individual bins, specifically lower-density areas such as Staten Island, Eastern Queens, and Southern Brooklyn. The report recommended a block-by-block approach to determining the appropriate method of containerization for the rest of the city, considering elements such as available curb space, anticipated waste output, and street width. Yet DSNY is rolling out its current rules based on building size rather than geography, instead of taking the suggested considerations into account.
To be clear, everyone agrees that the mountains of trash bags on our sidewalks are unacceptable. However, nearly 20% of 1-9 unit buildings have storefronts on the ground floor, according to the Center for Zero Waste Design. They simply have nowhere to store the bins, and the accompanying commercial businesses (which are also required to use bins) often do not, either. This means these bins will become permanent fixtures on our sidewalks, blocking storefronts and ground floor windows while obstructing pedestrian walkways.
Instead, DSNY should take a more nuanced approach to containerization. In low-density areas where bin storage is available, the bins are an appropriate solution. Outside of those areas, DSNY should fast-track the rollout of stationary, on-street, shared containers, which the report called “the only path to high-density residential containerization at scale.” It should also allow large buildings with trash compactors to use wheeled, lidded containers, placed temporarily in the curb lane. These are the right solutions for dense parts of the city for both residential and commercial waste, and DSNY should not shy away from removing free public parking spaces for what we all agree is a public good – making our streets cleaner and getting rid of rats. The Center for Zero Waste Design’s report On Containerization provides a roadmap for implementation that DSNY should follow.
The new containerization programs should also include recycling and organics. As the On Containerization report notes, “Creating equally convenient waste drop off areas for trash, recycling and organic waste leads to higher diversion rates.” A smart containerization plan would be tied to a save-as-you-throw model based on bin or bag size to help increase our diversion rates and meet our zero waste goals. Additionally, it is wasteful to have homeowners (or the City, should CM Salaam’s proposed legislation pass) buy bins now only to provide access to shared containers later, and rolling out new and different policies in a short time can be confusing. This will disincentivize use of the shared containers if and when they come. Borough President Reynoso calls upon DSNY to rethink its containerization plans and to take a more fine-tuned approach that prioritizes waste diversion and sustainability in addition to cleanliness.
Specifically, regarding Intro 0057: This bill was originally introduced as part of the Rat Action Plan that passed in 2022. In response to other bills in that package, DSNY promulgated new rules regarding set-out times. They have also continued the efforts toward containerization we discussed today. Ultimately, it is important to incentivize New Yorkers to comply with containerization but given the updated regulatory framework and the continued status of the rollout, we should be thoughtful about the right time to increase fines for non-compliance.
Organics
“About one-third of the approximately eight million tons of waste that New Yorkers produce every year is organic material, including food scraps and yard waste. This material traditionally travels from our homes and businesses by truck to landfills or incinerators, where it becomes the most significant contributor of waste-related greenhouse gas emissions.” This is the opening of a report our office is releasing with the Brooklyn and Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Boards making the case for implementation of Intro 696, which the Committee has already heard. This bill would go a long way toward supporting organics diversion and would ensure that we are prioritizing traditional composting methods instead of expanding anaerobic co-digestion, which increases production of toxic byproducts. Borough President Reynoso encourages the Council to pass Intro 696, which now has 24 sponsors.
Because of its environmental impact, Borough President Reynoso generally supports all efforts to keep organics out of landfill, including Intros 498 and 781, and Resolution 284. Intro 698 is particularly important to BP Reynoso as an original sponsor of the CORE Act, which he first introduced along with Council Member Powers in 2020. Intro 698 seeks to clarify a provision in what became Local Law 89 of 2023, requiring DSNY to establish and operate at least 30 organic waste drop-off sites citywide, with no fewer than three sites in each borough. To be clear, this bill never intended to allow smart bins to substitute for community-scale drop-off facilities, which can also serve as sites for education and engagement around composting. Intro 698 is an important bill to close a loophole that DSNY has used to avoid complying with the law as intended.
Thank you again for holding this hearing today. Borough President Reynoso thanks the Council for
your attention to this issue and looks forward to working with you to get containerization onto
the right track.
