Zero Waste New York (ZWNY) came together through local grassroots groups fighting polluting solid waste facilities to share resources and provide support. We have transitioned to a vibrant statewide coalition of grassroots community and regional groups working to transition from the state’s archaic framework that rubber stamps polluting incinerators and landfills to an environmentally sustainable materials management system based on the Zero Waste Hierarchy.

We are building people power among rural and urban community-based and regional groups to fill the decades-long void of statewide environmental leadership on solid waste issues.  ZWNY focuses on breaking down the silos between climate, environmental justice, landfill, incinerator, composting and recycling groups and progressive local government programs to phase out incinerators and reduce reliance on landfills and waste exports, and accelerate a transition to locally-based programs on waste reduction, reuse, recycling and materials management.

ZWNY groups succeeded in stopping proposed polluting facilities and shutting down a toxic waste incinerator:

1. Clean Air Action Network and Don’t Trash the Catskills assisted community groups to defeat attempts by Hughes Energy to site a 450 ton/day garbage autoclave in six different counties in Eastern NY.
2. Not Moreau and Clean Air Action Network defeated plans by Saratoga Biochar to build the largest sewage sludge pyrolysis facility in the nation.
3. Rensselaer Environmental Coalition defeated the BioHiTech waste-to-fuel facility proposal for the City of Rensselaer. In just one month, REC defeated a plan by Harbor Rock to burn PCB-laden river dredge. Energy Justice Network wrote local zoning change that banned incinerators there.
4. Energy Justice Network and Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena-Coeymans defeated a plan to burn massive amounts of trash and tires at the Lafarge Holcim Cement kiln near a grade school in Coeymans (Albany County). Energy Justice wrote local and county clean air laws that were adopted.
5. Seneca Lake Guardian defeated plans by “Circular enerG” for a trash and sewage sludge incinerator in Romulus (Seneca County) to handle New York City waste, winning a state ban on new incinerators in the Finger Lakes region.
6. Stop Toxic Ash Dumps stopped an incinerator ash landfill proposal in Catskill (Greene County).
7. Lights Out Norlite shut down the decades-old Norlite hazardous waste incinerator in Cohoes (Albany County).

On the zero waste and pollution prevention front, ZWNY groups have done the following activities:

1. Forty four groups submitted over 100 pages of detailed comments and policy recommendations on the state’s draft Ten-Year Solid Waste Management Plan, led by the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB).
2. Four groups submitted comments on the NYS Climate Action Council’s draft Scoping Plan on the Climate Act.
3. Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter issued a seminal report, Sewage Sludge ‘Fertilizer’ Contaminates Farms with Toxic PFAS.
4. Three neighboring towns passed moratoria on this practice and one enacted a ban on sewage sludge land application. Albany County has a 90-day moratorium on sewage sludge land application by Executive Order.
5. Manhattan and Brooklyn Solid Waste Management Advisory Boards (SWABs) submitted comments on NYC Council solid waste proposals, held educational events and advocated for food waste composting, and opposed co-digestion of food waste and sewage sludge
6. Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions and Mothers Out Front – Dutchess got Westchester and Dutchess Counties to fund the development of waste reduction plans.
7. Zero Waste Warren County’s advocacy persuaded the County Board of Supervisors to obtain state matching funds for a food waste composting facility and pilot program.
8. Zero Waste Capital District is working with the City of Albany to establish a number of zero waste-based programs.