Putnam County health staff outline updated 10-year solid waste plan, prioritize vape and battery disposal

Putnam County Health Department solid waste staff on Monday told the Health, Social, Educational, Environmental Committee that the county is drafting a 10-year local solid waste management plan to meet updated New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) expectations and to reduce waste, increase reuse and recycling, and address hazardous consumer products. Savannah Usher, solid waste program manager, said the plan will cover 2025–2034 and will be submitted to the DEC for technical review followed by a required 45-day public comment period.

The plan is being written to align with five statewide focus areas the DEC released this year, Usher said, including product stewardship/extended producer responsibility, organics reduction and recycling, waste reduction and reuse, recycling-market development and facility design/operations. She said Putnam’s plan will emphasize unified countywide policies, stronger permitting and compliance checks, improved municipal data reporting, and expanded public education.

Putnam County’s current gaps, Usher told legislators, include an expired…