TESTIMONY
Eric Goldstein, New York City Environment Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, on the Importance of Restoring Funding for Composting and Organic Waste Collection in New York City
7:43:32
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142 sec
Goldstein urges the city council to restore funding for community composting programs and curbside organic waste collection.
- He represents the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a national non-profit environmental organization
- NRDC supports restoring funding for composting programs run by organizations like GrowNYC, Big Reuse, and the Lower East Side Ecology Center
- Shipping organic waste out of state costs New York City over $150 million per year
- Composting organic waste locally would save taxpayer money over time
- Public education is needed for curbside organics collection to be successful
Eric Goldstein
7:43:32
My name is Eric Goldstein.
7:43:34
I am the New York City Environment Director at the Natural Resource Defense Council.
7:43:38
As you know, NRDC is a national nonprofit legal and scientific organization.
7:43:43
We thank you an urged the council to support the restoration and baseline funding for composting, community composting, as well as grow NYC's related work and the build out for the 2 composting programs by big reuse and low reside ecology center.
7:44:00
The Adams administration short sighted mid year elimination of funding for the New York compost project was an example of mismanagement of an essential sanitation service.
7:44:09
Meanwhile, the council's budget response document wisely quote for the restoration and baselining of funding for this critical program.
7:44:17
Either I nor NRDC stand to benefit financially or personally from the restoration and baselining of these funds.
7:44:24
But as a national nonprofit organization, that has observed sanitation programs around the nation.
7:44:29
We can testify that the New York City nonprofits that have been working to bring composting city residents in all five boroughs have been nationally recognized for the models they've created and the work they're doing.
7:44:41
Restoring and baselining this funding makes sense economically.
7:44:44
City taxpayers are now spending about $500,000,000 a year to ship trash to out of state landfills and incinerators.
7:44:50
A third of this trash is organics.
7:44:53
That's over a $150,000,000 a year to spend on exporting these materials.
7:45:00
On in contrast collecting organics and turning them into valuable soil enhancing finished compost would save taxpayer dollars over time as former sanitation commissioners, Garcia and Grayson have conceded, and the cities like Seattle that have implemented successful composting programs have demonstrated.
7:45:18
We applaud the council's 2023 passage of its 0 waste package, including the establishment of curbside organics collection.
7:45:26
But mandates alone are not enough to change public behavior.
7:45:29
Herbicide collection will never achieve its potential without and will always be too expensive without a comprehensive robust multifaceted public education and training program teaching New Yorkers have accomplished and why it makes sense
Andrew Wallach
7:45:42
do so.
Shekar Krishnan
7:45:43
I think it must be
Eric Goldstein
7:45:44
done on a continuing basis, and that is exactly what the curbside or what the community comes.
Keisha Lewis
7:45:50
Thank you so much.
7:45:51
Your time has expired.
Eric Goldstein
7:45:53
Thank you for your attention.
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Claire Miflin, Executive Director of the Center for Zero Waste Design, on the Importance of Community Composting and Parks for Creating Climate and Social Resilience
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Julie Jenkins, Founder of Stewards of Ewen Park, on the Importance of Funding the NYC Parks Department to Maintain Urban Forests and Green Spaces