-
Zero Waste New York — On the Move
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…
-
Recommended Resources on the Plastic Problem
Robert Gedert, Untangling Plastics: The Missing Link in Mitigating Climate Change, River Grove Books, 2026 Judith Enck with Adam Mahoney, The Problem With Plastic, 2025, The New Press Watch for reviews of these excellent new books in the Fall 2026 ZWNY newsletter! Also check out the 2026 documentary, Plastic Detox, which you can watch on Netflix.…
-
WASS and FCWC Hold a Successful Waste Summit
In May, Westchester County Alliance Sustainable Solutions (WASS) and Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) convened the Waste in Westchester Summit at the Pace Law School to help lead the way for Westchester County to achieve Zero Waste goals and end reliance on dirty incineration. Over a dozen Westchester municipalities were represented. In 2024, WASS…
-
ReUse is an Act of Care
By Diane Cohen, CEO & Seth Gottfried, Engagement and Outreach Coordinator “84% of the material in our municipal solid waste is reusable or recoverable” — NYS Center for Sustainable Materials Management We know that the majority of items filling up our trash likely have a market somewhere. Finger Lakes ReUse (FLR) takes these current liabilities…
-
DEC Cancels Hearings on Clean Earth’s PFAS Contaminated Soil Research Permit Application: Is this good news or not?
By Tracy Frisch In the Spring ZWNY newsletter, I reported on the new PFAS threat to the village of Fort Edward. In early June, I received a phone call out of the blue from the DEC Region 5 permit administrator. She told me that Clean Earth’s parent company ESMI had requested that DEC cancel the…
-
Plumes from the Brookhaven Landfill: BLARG (Brookhaven Landfill Action Remediation Group) has been busy lately!
By John McNamara The Brookhaven Town Waste Management Department held an Information Meeting about two plumes that have been traced to the town landfill. A plume in an aquifer refers to a migrating body of contaminated groundwater. It forms when hazardous substances leach into the ground, dissolve into the water, and spread outward from a…
-
Elevated Lung Cancer Rates near the State’s Largest Landfill
A state Department of Health report found elevated lung cancer rates in census tracts around Seneca Meadows but said it could not link the landfill to the increase. The report has not eased concerns from residents, workers and environmental advocates who have long complained about odors, respiratory problems and air quality near the landfill. Critics…
-
Why Sewage Sludge Should Never Be Used as a Fertilizer
By Tracy Frisch Sewage sludge (aka biosolids, a PR term invented by the wastewater treatment sector to make this waste product sound like a good thing) is often land applied as a fertilizer, even though it is highly contaminated with PFAS “forever chemicals,” pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and other toxic substances that don’t belong in farm fields,…
-
NYC News: Pushing Back on a Business-As-Usual Local Solid Waste Management Plan
The Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (MSWAB) is an all volunteer advisory board, appointed by the Manhattan Borough President and charged with helping NYC advance toward its zero waste goals. MSWAB has been an active ZWNY member since inception. Late last year, the NYC Dept of Sanitation (DSNY), published its next draft local solid waste…
-
Moving Warren County Slowly Toward Zero Waste
By Tracy Frisch Zero Waste Warren County, formed in October 2019, is a project of the Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls (CAAN). Our Zero Waste group has been advocating for Zero Waste infrastructure, programs and policies for the past 6 years, and the County has become more receptive. In Dec. 2024, DEC awarded…
-
Breathe Free Hudson Falls — Local Clean Air Law to be Voted on in April!
By Rosemary Madonna The Wheelabrator/WIN Waste trash incinerator in Hudson Falls, NY is a 34 year old, malfunctioning, polluting, horrendous facility! It is owned and operated by Wheelabrator. Many of us live quite close to it, so in 2021 we canvassed the surrounding neighborhood to discuss the facility and our concerns. In the first half…
We’re Building
the Community of
Zero Wasters
in New York State!
Zero Waste New York is a state-wide organization working to eliminate the state’s use of incineration and reduce the need for landfills and waste exports through zero waste strategies.