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Advocates and DSNY press the case: commercial waste zones, EPR and rising export costs
Summary
DSNY provided details on long‑term waste export spending (budgeted about $594.8 million) while advocates urged funding for diversion and Extended Producer Responsibility; council members and DSNY discussed potential operational efficiencies and limits on contract renegotiation.
Deputy Commissioner Joseph Antonelli told the City Council the department expects to spend roughly $594.8 million on waste export in the current plan year and that export costs are driven by two main factors: tonnage collected and CPI‑indexed increases in long‑term contracts.
Antonelli said the department uses long‑term contracts in order to avoid market volatility and that there are limited opportunities to renegotiate major terms in the near term. DSNY officials said they are pursuing operational efficiencies at transfer stations to control per‑ton costs and emphasized that diverting recyclable and compostable material will be central to controlling long‑term export spending.
Public testimony at the hearing reinforced those points: environment and community groups urged the Council to back state‑level Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation and to continue funding community composting and food rescue programs so diversion can be scaled. The Natural Resources Defense Council told the committee that shifting more organics and recyclables away from export would reduce environmental and public-health burdens borne by receiving communities.
Other DSNY notes from the hearing:
- Commercial Waste Zones: DSNY said the program, when fully implemented, will cut vehicle miles traveled in the commercial sector and that administrative fees from full roll‑out are projected to reach about $7 million annually once all 20 zones are online. DSNY reported the program is fully operational in 5 of 20 zones and expects full citywide implementation by 2027.
- Policy levers: DSNY cited EPR as a promising mechanism to reduce export costs and increase diversion if enacted at the state level.
Next steps: Advocates urged the Council to allocate funding for nonprofit diversion partners and to consider pilot use of marine or rail transfer stations for commercial waste to reduce truck miles to out‑of‑city facilities.
