Dirty, Wasteful & Unsustainable: The Urgent Need to Reform New York City’s Commercial Waste System

New York City’s sprawling commercial waste system performs significantly worse on recycling and efficiency than previously believed. Under an inefficient and ad-hoc arrangement that developed over the past several decades, hundreds of private hauling companies collect waste from restaurants, stores, offices, and other businesses nightly and truck it to dozens of transfer stations and recycling facilities concentrated in a handful of low-income communities of color. This waste is then transferred to long-haul trucks and hauled to landfills as far away as South Carolina. Previously unpublished studies and new data reveal just how chaotic this system is and make clear that fundamental reform is needed if we are to follow through on the City’s recently adopted commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050.

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Worker information: Know your rights

Know Your Rights! According to NYC law, you have the following rights as a worker: The right to payment in accordance with the law. The minimum wage is currently $8.75 in New York and you’re entitled to time and one-half

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New VIDEO: Transform Don’t Trash NYC

This powerful video features City Council Member and Sanitation Committee Chair Antonio Reynoso, small business owners, private sanitation workers and young people and advocates from environmental justice communities discussing the negative impacts that the city’s outdated waste system has on them, as well as solutions to create good jobs and clean and safe communities for all New Yorkers.

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What is Transform Don’t Trash NYC?

All New Yorkers want to live and work in safe, healthy communities. New York City has taken steps in recent years to build the cleaner, more sustainable city we all want. Unfortunately, commercial waste continues to cause problems for local communities and workers, as well as the local environment, economy, and the city’s long-term sustainability. This two-page document provides an overview of the Transform Don't Trash NYC campaign, detailing the problem, the solution and ways you can get involved.

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Community Member Stories: Stephan Smith

Stephan Smith is a life-long resident of Hunts Point in the South Bronx and has witnessed how waste transfer stations have decimated his community. The stations can be seen, often covered in a grey haze of toxins, smoke and particulate matter. In talking to his neighbors, Stephan realized: “Most people don’t even know what a waste transfer facility is. They are simply living here and receiving poor air quality and don’t even know why.”

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Worker Stories: Plinio Cruz

Plinio Cruz is a sanitation worker who has been in the commercial waste industry for the last 10 years. He works long nights in midtown Manhattan picking up waste from the city’s restaurants, offices and other businesses. As a Bronx native and hardworking Teamster, Plinio is proud to be able to provide for his family and help keep New York clean, but he worries about a lot of the other non-union drivers he sees out on the road at night.

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Worker Stories: Allan Henry

Allan Henry has been a commercial sanitation worker for the last 28 years, and he can feel it. “My body is shot. My left wrist is bad, my knees are bad, my ankles are bad. Every day, everything hurts, it's just normal,” says Allan. Sanitation regularly ranks as one of the nation’s most dangerous jobs. Any garbage bag could contain razor sharp objects or hazardous chemicals.

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