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Ulster County agency pauses landfill search, sets 30/60/90 waste-diversion targets
Summary
At a June 3 committee meeting, the county's waste agency announced an indefinite pause to active landfill site searches and shifted focus to diversion goals of 30% by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050, while exploring a reuse/innovation hub and short-term leasing to limit capital debt.
Director Ryder told the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee on June 3 that the agency is putting an indefinite pause on searching for a new landfill and refocusing on waste-diversion targets aligned with the state solid-waste plan. "We are setting goals of 30% diversion by 2030, 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050," Ryder said, and reported the agency had a slight surplus of about $153,000 for April.
Ryder said the county's long-term landfill capacity context motivated the shift: he said Senica Meadows's capacity is expected to decline and could close by 2040, and that a new local or regional landfill would likely require a site identified within roughly five years because permitting and construction can take about a decade. "What I will say is within the next five years a local site somewhere in the region should be identified so that we can start the long work of permitting and constructing," Ryder said.
The director described options to support diversion work without taking on large debt. The agency is considering leasing space for a proposed reuse and innovation center rather than purchasing a building, and has earmarked funds for capital projects. Ryder explained the agency cannot issue general obligation bonds and relies on revenue bonds, which limits debt-financing options and can make a $10 million project harder to carry without significant outside support.
Several legislators voiced competing priorities. Legislator Walls said Ulster County has a responsibility to manage its own waste rather than exporting it, while acknowledging public concern about potential local siting. "I do think that Ulster County has a responsibility to take care of its own waste," Walls said. Ryder responded that the agency is not taking towns off the table arbitrarily but is resetting the process after public comment and technical review, and that some previously considered parcels presented infrastructure and access limitations that would make them infeasible even with added investment.
Next steps: the agency will continue outreach to regional partners and the Hudson Valley working group, pursue diversion planning and grant funding, and the Legislature will take up related resolutions, including a pending resolution on opposition to siting a countywide landfill, at future meetings.
