Public Works committee approves submitting updated Solid Waste Management Plan to DEC and agrees to study possible investments

The Public Works Committee reviewed public comments on the county’s draft Solid Waste Management Plan, discussed possible next steps on recycling and waste diversion, and voted to submit the plan and its comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) while committing to further study selected options.

Laura, the county staff lead on the solid-waste draft, summarized the public-comment record and presented a three-column analysis: items already within county authority or already included in the draft (right column); items that require further study or financing (middle column); and items under state authority (left/DEC column). She said the plan’s primary near-term focus is consumer education to reduce contamination in recycling streams: “the biggest focus of this plan is what can we do to increase consumer education,” she told the committee.

Public commenters and several committee members urged the county to consider more active roles in recycling — such as reestablishing recycling drop-off centers, investing in a resource-separation facility, or supporting local businesses that would process recyclables — but staff and supervisors warned these options could require substantial capital investment and operational costs. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that the county privatized municipal solid-waste operations in 2017 for fiscal reasons and that returning to a county-run transfer/recycling operation would entail notable budget and operational implications for towns and private haulers.

Key quantitative points discussed during the review: the plan currently includes a 1% per-person-per-day waste reduction target accepted earlier by DEC; public commenters suggested a 50% reduction target, which staff said would require additional cost and feasibility analysis. Staff also cited a DEC grant that can cover 50% of the salary for a recycling coordinator and outlined a $50,000 DPW budget line to hire a consultant for updated data analysis starting later in the year.

The committee agreed to several specific next steps: (1) submit the plan and public comments to DEC with staff responses; (2) place items from the middle column into the plan’s action matrix as follow‑up items for feasibility analysis; and (3) review and update the county’s 1992 source-separation local law (the committee instructed staff to “review the law” as an action item). A motion to accept the plan as a starting point and send it on with the stated commitments passed by voice vote.

Ending: The plan will be transmitted to DEC along with the committee’s responses and the public-comment record. Staff will pursue further feasibility analyses and report back on specific middle-column items (potential recycling locations, licensing, composting feasibility and coordination with towns) before any large-scale financial commitments are made.