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 pushed Westchester County to hire a certified Zero Waste consultant to study diversion strategies that would enable the County to stop relying on incineration by 2029, when its current incineration contract ends, but while the County made recommendations to improve existing diversion programs, it failed to study alternatives to incineration. So, we decided it’s time to move bottom up, to engage citizens and municipalities to see what works and get the job done.
Summit Keynote speaker Kirstie Pecci, executive director of Just Zero, provided numerous examples of strategies to reduce waste and increase diversion from communities around the country that have already implemented Zero Waste strategies. The number one most effective and cost saving measure is removing all organic materials from the waste stream.
Other panelists included County Legislator Erika Pierce, Hudson Valley Regional Council Sr. Coordinator Liz Sun, Irvington Sustainability Director Charlotte Binns, DEF County Commissioner Lou Vetrone, and Sustainable Materials Management owner Anthony Carbone. They spoke on a range of options — from “pay as you throw” and “upon request” laws to community-led education campaigns that have been gamified to encourage public participation. Where there is motivation and leadership, there are viable, affordable solutions, and Zero Waste can be done.
WASS also announced its city-by-city initiative and will be reaching out to all Refuse District municipalities to further the conversation and coordination across County entities to learn from local Mayors and Public Works Departments about what programs are working, what innovations they may have to share with others, and see where they need help. Most often the needs are assistance with outreach and education, and funding opportunities.
For public reporting on the Summit, check out the coverage in the Peekskill Herald: https://peekskillherald.com/39346/environment/advocates-municipal-leaders-come-together-at-waste-summit-to-advance-zero-waste-solutions/
To watch introductory comments by WASS co-founder Courtney Williams and the keynote address by Kirstie Pecci, go to https://youtu.be/BGWSCeNYs8c?si=YieldCZu8k_nk1b9. Contact WASS at wasspeekskill@gmail.com
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