TOWARDS A ZERO-WASTE DUTCHESS

I went to Vassar College this afternoon to see Neil Seldman & Shabazz Jackson speak on the topic of zero-waste in Dutchess County. Neil is the president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which works to "enable communities with tools to increase economic effectiveness, reduce wastes, decrease environmental impacts and provide for local ownership of the infrastructure and resources essential for community well-being." (from their website). Shabazz and his partner Josephine are locally known for his role in large scale composting as the Greenway Environmental Services. Urban Food Production, Zero-Waste Systems & Bio-Filtration. In 2000, Vassar’s recycling rate was 8%, and went to 85%. Greenway also worked with SUNY New Paltz & Marist to help them get their waste rate down and their composting rate high. I first heard of him through an article in The Valley Table magazine a few months ago, and I was very impressed with his dedication to the cause.

The event was all about our county's expensive incinerator plant, and it's very low recycling rate. See my post below on this topic for more information. The bottom line: the DCRRA incinerator plant is a declining asset. The longer our incinerator plant runs, the more expensive it will be. This year’s deficit is $6 million.

Zero Waste is the classification of a residence, industrial or other facility, to throw away 10% or less of its waste. So- if you’re a homeowner and you’re recycling, composting and reusing 90% of your home’s waste, you are zero-waste!

In Dutchess County, we get rid of garbage in 3 ways: burning it, burying it, and recycling it. 

Incineration creates hazardous air emissions & toxic ash containing over 200 different dioxins, which the EPA classifies as daily landfill cover called "special waste".

In Poughkeepsie, we incinerate garbage and spend $100K/yr to transport green waste (lawn clippings & compost) out of town. I was really excited to hear that Greenway has just been granted the authority to upgrade the town’s existing facility and collect green waste for local processing. I hope to learn more about what this will look like - but I know they'll be working with local school to teach students how the compost system works and what role they can play.

What you can do:

1. Attend incinerator permit meetings and mention the success of Vassar's program! The other 2 colleges are modeled after this incredibly successful project.
2. Help the Zero Waste supporters get a proposal together for the next committee meeting. We shouldget a grantwriter from the County to focus on the outside monies available for zero waste programs. 
3. REUSE as much as possible! Reusable materials account for 5% of the waste stream, but are 50% of the value. $12/hr + benefits at a repair shop in Eugene, which has lowered the cost of living.

Read more about Zero Waste:

Milwaukee’s food waste sewer system: http://v3.mmsd.com/foodisfuel.aspx

Atlanta’s zero-waste area from restaurants: Zero Waste Zone
County Legislator Joel Tyner's blog: http://dutchessdemocracy.blogspot.com