TESTIMONY
Beth Slepian, Vice Chair of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, on Funding for Community Composting, Compost Sites, and Zero Waste School Programs
7:16:00
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153 sec
Beth Slepian advocates for restoring funding for community composting, new compost sites managed by Big Reuse and the Lower East Side Ecology Center, and zero waste school programs run by GrowNYC.
- As an educator, micro hauler, and public school parent, she highlights the importance of composting for improving urban green spaces and quality of life.
- She commends the compost collection rollout in NYC public schools, crediting GrowNYC's efforts, but notes the need for continued waste education.
- She urges including $2.5 million for zero waste school programs to maintain sustainable waste management practices in schools.
Beth Slepian
7:16:00
Good afternoon, and thank you for this opportunity to speak.
7:16:04
My name is Beth Slapien, and I'm Vice Chair of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board.
7:16:09
I am also an educator and a micro hauler with Common Ground Compose.
7:16:13
A certified master composter, and a member of Brooklyn Community Board 12.
7:16:18
However, I am speaking you today to you today, not as a representative of any of these entities, but instead as an individual, a long time educator in schools and as a public school parent.
7:16:31
I trust this council to make the right decision and restore the $7,000,000 in funding for community composting.
7:16:38
As well as the $4,000,000 for new compost sites managed by Big Reuse and the Lower East Side Ecology Center.
7:16:45
And I thank you for your continued advocacy for these vital city services.
7:16:50
As you know, we cannot have community composting without physical sites throughout our city to turn our organic waste into finished compost that benefits our trees and green spaces and improves our quality of life.
7:17:02
I am also hopeful that you will find a solution with the parks commissioner to save big reuse's Queen's Bridge composting site.
7:17:09
Now, let's talk about another line item, schools.
7:17:13
The mayor, schools chancellor, and the sanitation commissioner have recently touted the completed rollout of compost collection in all 1800 public schools.
7:17:22
This is no small feat, but let's give credit where credit is due.
7:17:26
Curbside composting exists in our city schools in large part because of the hard work completed by the 0 waste schools team at Grow NYC.
7:17:35
25 people, most of whom are union employees whose contracts are set to fire and will be losing their jobs by the end of June.
7:17:44
Please include the $2,500,000 that was previously allocated for 0 waste school programs in the FY 25 budget.
7:17:53
Without continued education, these efforts will be fruitless after a few years.
7:17:58
Students grow up.
7:17:59
Teachers and staff move on.
7:18:01
I love my child's school, but the rollout of curbside composting there was likely before my 1st grader was born.
7:18:07
And their brown bins are rife with contamination.
7:18:10
Like all schools, they need ongoing education to manage their waste better.
7:18:15
86% of our school waste is recyclable or compostable.
7:18:19
We don't need larger containers where it all goes to landfill.
7:18:22
We need waste reduction in smarter solutions, more waste educators in our schools, and more funding to ensure we can rely on our young people to preserve a greener future.
7:18:32
Thank you.
Justin L. Brannan
7:18:33
Thank you.