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Council Member Shaun Abreu's opening remarks on commercial waste zones implementation and related legislation
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4 min
Council Member Shaun Abreu opens the hearing on the implementation of New York City's commercial waste zones (CWZ) system. He outlines the purpose of the hearing, provides background on Local Law 199 of 2019, and discusses the current status of CWZ implementation. Abreu also introduces two bills to be discussed: Intro 1228 on expanding commercial organic waste requirements, and Intro 784 on establishing a tracking system for grease disposal.
- Abreu highlights the slow rollout of CWZ, with only one zone (Queens Central) implemented so far and two Bronx zones planned for later in the year.
- He mentions concerns about market consolidation, safety training, and advocates' calls for faster implementation.
- The hearing aims to gather updates from DSNY, BIC, and advocates on the CWZ program's progress and challenges.
Shaun Abreu
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Good morning everyone.
0:00:36
Thank you sanitation committee members, acting DSNY commissioner Javier Lojon, assistant commissioner Frank Marshall, and assistant commissioner Neil Eisenberg.
0:00:46
I'd like to thank the members of the public who are here to testify.
0:00:51
We also have BIC commissioner Elizabeth Crotty here and she'll be part of a separate panel.
0:00:57
To minimize disruption please place electronic devices on vibrate or silent mode.
0:01:02
I would also like to acknowledge council member nurse for being present here with us today.
0:01:07
In 2019 the council enacted local law one ninety nine requiring the establishment of a new system for the collection of a portion of commercial waste produced in New York City.
0:01:19
The purpose of today's hearing is to learn more about the city's implementation of this law and the new commercial waste zones system.
0:01:27
According to the council's findings in the legislative purpose of local law one ninety nine, the current commercial waste collection system is plagued by dangerous driving and insufficient attention to public safety leading to dozens of deaths on New York City streets, harmful environmental and public health impacts such as excessive truck emissions and noise pollution, dangerous conditions for commercial waste collection workers, and poor customer service such as opaque pricing putting small businesses at a disadvantage.
0:02:00
According to the same findings, the new system will result in carters which adequately train their workers on safe practices, a dramatic reduction in truck traffic and resultant roadway wear and tear, reduced incentives for unsafe driving, enhanced protections for commercial waste collection workers, advancement of the city's efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling, and overall promotion of the public health, safety, and welfare of all New Yorkers.
0:02:32
Pursuant to local law one ninety nine, DSNY has divided the city into 20 commercial waste zones and although it took nearly five years in January 2024, DSNY announced the names of private Carter's that will collect waste from businesses in one of more of these zones.
0:02:49
The city has stated that it plans to use a staggered schedule to implement each of the zones to the new system.
0:02:56
Earlier this year the city implemented the first commercial way zone known as Queens Central, which is located across neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Glendale, Jackson Heights, Regal Park, and Ridgewood.
0:03:11
Businesses that were required to select one of three private waste carters Businesses there were required to select one of three private waste carters for their waste collection.
0:03:22
Businesses that did not make a selection were assigned a carter by DSNY.
0:03:27
We are pleased to learn this morning that two additional zones will be implemented later this year, Bronx West and Bronx East.
0:03:33
We look forward to hearing about the commercial way zones rollout in Queen Central and the agency's news for the next two zones and the following zones as well.
0:03:43
Since the committee's last commercial way zones hearing, we've also seen an uptick in market activity by trade waste companies resulting in some shifts among Carter's assigned to each zone.
0:03:55
We're also aware of ongoing and require safety trainings and retrofitting of trucks by Carter's who will take part in the implementation of the city's remaining 19 zones and an increase in the number of safe safety violations issued to these Carter's by BIC.
0:04:10
Additionally, we've heard from advocates about the need for swifter implementation of local law one ninety nine of 2019 to protect community health.
0:04:19
We look forward to hearing from DSNY, BIC and advocates about this activity today.
0:04:25
We are also hearing two bills today.
0:04:28
These include intro number twelve twenty eight that I've introduced in relation to expanding the categories of businesses that may be subject to requirements regarding the disposal of commercial organic waste.
0:04:39
As we require residents to separate their organic waste, it's only right that our businesses do the same.
0:04:45
Intro twelve twenty eight ensures that commercial and residential diversion efforts move forward together.
0:04:51
We will also be hearing intro number seven eighty four by council member Sandy Nurse in relation to establishing a tracking system concerning the disposal of yellow and brown grease.