February 8, 2016

NEW YORK, NY – The Working Families Party has joined Transform Don’t Trash NYC, a coalition of labor, community, and environmental groups pushing to transform how New York City disposes its commercial trash.

The new alliance comes as the New York City Department of Sanitation conducts a comprehensive study of commercial waste collection zones, which have been used in major cities across the country to raise recycling rates and guarantee good wages and safe jobs for sanitation workers. Transform Don’t Trash NYC is calling for New York City to adopt commercial waste collection zones.

“The Working Families Party is proud to join the Transform Don’t Trash NYC coalition in this campaign to raise standards for private sanitation workers and make this industry sustainable for communities and the environment,” said Bill Lipton, State Director of New York Working Families. “This is a great opportunity for our city to demonstrate its commitment to a zero waste future with maximum recycling and good jobs. We can and should transform our archaic commercial waste system into a highly effective national model.”

“We welcome the Working Families Party to the Transform Don’t Trash NYC Coalition,” said ALIGN Executive Director Matt Ryan, speaking on behalf of the coalition. “As a powerful voice for working families that is fighting for climate solutions, we look forward to working with them in the effort to increase commercial recycling rates, expand employment opportunities of good, green jobs, and address generations of environmental justice issues.”

New York City’s private sanitation industry is in desperate need of reform. Recent reports found a commercial recycling rate of 25%, just a fraction of the rate in leading cities like San Francisco and Seattle.  At the same time, private sanitation workers report low pay and unsafe conditions at many private sanitation companies.

The Working Families Party joins a growing coalition that includes Alliance for a Greater New York, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Teamsters Joint Council 16.

About Transform Don’t Trash NYC
Transform Don’t Trash NYC is a growing coalition dedicated to transforming New York City’s commercial trash industry to reduce waste and pollution, foster clean and healthy communities for all New Yorkers, and create good jobs. For more information, please visit www.transformdonttrashnyc.org.

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