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Tompkins County awards reuse-services contract, endorses deconstruction to reduce construction waste
Summary
The legislature awarded a contract to Finger Lakes Reuse for community reuse services and passed a nonbinding resolution supporting deconstruction and materials reuse as a strategy to cut construction and demolition waste.
The Tompkins County Legislature approved a contract award to Finger Lakes Reuse and adopted a resolution endorsing deconstruction and reuse of building materials on June 17, measures county officials say aim to reduce construction and demolition waste and broaden reuse infrastructure.
In public comment, Diane Cohen, chief executive officer of Finger Lakes Reuse, thanked the legislature and county staff and described the organization's work. "Our plan to continue to reduce waste through reuse through collaborative engagement and providing convenient services, building strategies that have been tremendously successful and are continuing to gain momentum," Cohen said. She noted Finger Lakes Reuse is volunteer-led and is working on strategic planning to expand services.
The resolution awarding the reuse-services contract authorizes expenditures not to exceed $190,000 per year for the service provider; officials said Finger Lakes Reuse was the lowest qualified bidder. The legislature approved the award unanimously.
Separately, the legislature passed a nonbinding resolution supporting deconstruction and building-materials reuse. The resolution cites state data that construction and demolition debris represents about 46% of waste generated in New York and outlines benefits of deconstruction, including waste reduction, retention of embodied carbon, historic preservation, and economic and workforce development.
Nut graf: The contract award and the policy resolution together signal a county-level push to expand reuse infrastructure, create local jobs and reduce landfill disposal of construction materials.
Details: County staff and committee members said the reuse contract will support enhanced reuse infrastructure and that the deconstruction resolution will raise awareness and reflect county policy preferences. Two bids were received; Finger Lakes Reuse was the selected, qualified bidder for the contract. The deconstruction resolution is nonbinding but aligns with the county's recycling and materials-management strategy.
Next steps: County recycling and materials-management staff will implement the reuse contract; the legislature and staff will continue outreach and monitoring on reuse and deconstruction initiatives.
