New York City Citizens Fight Waste Management

I am a member of Red Hook G.A.G.S.(Groups Against Garbage Sites). Our community-based activist group was created to combat the Giuliani Administration's unfair Solid Waste Management Plan, which continues to allow a disproportionate number of waste facilities to be placed in our waterfront neighborhood (and other disadvantaged neighborhoods like it in the South Bronx and Williamsburg & Greenpoint in Brooklyn).

Using the mandated closing of our last (and most appalling) landfill in Fresh Kills, Staten Island as a shield, the Mayor has set out to impose his political will on our neighborhoods by allowing huge contracts to be awarded to WMX to handle and transport the City's 13,000 ton daily output of residential garbage. Red Hook has been named to be the host site for a 7100 tpd EBUF (enclosed barge unloading facility) which would be built for and operated by Waste Management in New York Harbor opposite the Statue of Liberty. (Brooklyn only produces 3900 tpd of residential trash. We are naturally suspicious of the 3200 tons of excess capacity in this trash palace.)

This plan is especially egregious since the NYC Dept. of Sanitation already operates 7 Marine Transfer Stations which now transfers all NYC residential trash to Fresh Kills. They are equitably distributed throughout the City and currently operate at 50% capacity or less. With the right plan, those Marine Transfer Stations could be "retrofitted" to accommodate containerized barges, and a rational export plan could be formulated in partnership with other states.

We have joined two major coalitions in NYC to strengthen out cause. They are O.W.N. (the Organization of Waterfront Neighborhoods)and B.A.R.G.E.(Boroughs Allied for Recycling and Garbage Equity). We have jointly filed a lawsuit to stop the further siting of facilities and awarding of contracts without a secure and evenhanded Solid Waste Management Plan in place.

Our communities believe we have a fair and reasonable alternative to the Mayor's plan. He refuses to meet with any of our communities and hear our concerns and ideas.

There is a long and complex history (obviously) to this story. There are of course many more details and elements to the plan, the plot and the politics. But this thumbnail outline gets us communicating with others who have and are continuing to face similar issues in underserved and predominantly minority communities.

We welcome replies, ideas and support. Red Hook G.A.G.S. is in the process of developing its own web site. Also our extended coalition B.A.R.G.E. has a site. Their site details the history of NYC's poor solid waste management history and policies and includes info about our lawsuit.

Thanks for replying. Its a big fight and we're glad to know we are not alone.

Pat Weber Sones

e.mail: plsones@concentric.net

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