Sullivan County adopts 10-year solid waste plan as residents raise concerns over waste-to-energy options

SULLIVAN COUNTY, N.Y. — Sullivan County's Public Works committee voted by voice to approve a 10-year local solid waste management plan that will be submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for review, while residents urged the Legislature to reject waste-to-energy and gasification options cited in draft planning documents.

The plan, described by county staff as a 10-year blueprint with required biannual updates, was approved as part of a block of resolutions the committee passed by voice vote at the meeting; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript. County staff said the DEC's sign-off is required before the plan takes effect.

County Public Works staff outlined the plan and related procurement work, including bids received for loading, hauling and disposal; staff said Seneca Meadows and several other out-of-county landfills were among the options under consideration. The committee also reviewed earlier vendor outreach for a separate waste-to-energy track: staff held a July 18 pre-proposal conference that drew seven companies, and said they expect to convert comments on the draft into an RFP by September.

"Basically, what you're authorizing is that we're gonna…