Ulster County resource recovery agency pauses landfill search, shifts to diversion goals and reuse hub planning

Director Ryder, the head of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, told the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee on June 3 that the agency is pausing an active search for a local landfill and shifting its work toward waste diversion goals.

The change is intended to reduce reliance on out-of-county disposal and to meet targets the agency described as 30% diversion by Feb. 2030, 60% by Feb. 2040 and 90% by 2050, goals Ryder said align with the state solid waste management plan. "The agency is putting an indefinite pause on search for landfill. Our focus is shifting towards more of the diversion goals," Ryder said.

The move reflects the agency's assessment of regional capacity and long-term disposal risk. Ryder said Seneca Meadows’ capacity and broader statewide landfill availability are declining and that local or regional capacity must be identified within roughly five years if county waste is to remain local. "When the type of capacity that Seneca Meadows has comes off of the state capacity,…