National Waste & Recycling Association weighs in on statewide waste tax proposal

Aug 21, 2023

by: Christine Gregory

Posted: Aug 31, 2023 / 05:41 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 31, 2023 / 05:48 PM EDT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — As landfills in New York State near their capacity, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is proposing launching a statewide fee for every ton of trash that does not get recycled or composted.

The DEC is hoping that this proposed tax would help reduce waste at the source, return materials back to productive use, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

After speaking with Lew Dubuque, Vice President for the National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA), he says that the effects on the environment could actually be the opposite of what’s being intended.

“It’s simple that people are just going to take their garbage and dump it into their recycling bin to keep the weight and cost down, and this is going to have severe environmental consequences; basically, negating the purpose of the tax itself,” Dubuque says.

A “tax on garbage,” is what Dubuque says this all comes down to that would end up burdening low-income families, hindering recycling efforts, and increasing the amount of unregulated waste disposal practices. Instead, he thinks the focus needs to be shifted on creating more incentives to recycle.

“At the National Waste and Recycling Association, we’ve been pushing New York State to pass a minimum content standard legislation that would basically require minimum recycled content in items that are sold in the state; any packaging, this would create more jobs, generate more tax revenue, and increase the value most importantly of recycled materials,” Dubuque says.

Dubuque says that by setting a minimum standard for material that has to be recycled back into a product, you’ll increase the value of what you’re putting into your recycling bin and decrease the amount of waste being improperly disposed of.

“…the more the garbage weighs, the more it’s going to cost. They will find other ways to dispose of it and we all know how that plays out you’re dumping in parks, putting it in recycling bins, which again is going to contaminate all the material that is in your recycling bin,” Dubuque says.

On the other hand, the DEC says that the proposed fee could raise and distribute tens of millions of dollars that will go towards recycling, composting, and other waste reduction efforts; all while compelling consumers to scale back what they throw out.

New York State Assembly Member for the outer Rochester area and nearby suburbs of Irondequoit and Brighton Sarah Clark adds in a statement, “The DEC’s proposal includes key recommendations to ensure the state’s largest waste generators are accountable to reducing waste that is quickly becoming more unmanageable statewide, and is an increasingly bigger burden on upstate communities and contributing to CO2 emissions. While more details are needed to understand impact on residents and small businesses we need to find ways to encourage large reductions in trash waste and better engagement in robust recycling programs. As a mom of three, we have to be bold in our action around curbing the climate crisis. While we also continue to look upstream at ways to decrease waste production, this proposal is a first step toward a better future, making us the 31st state to put some type of fee on waste.”

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