Solid Waste Project
Every day, New Yorkers generate more than 50,000 tons of household waste. Of this amount, only 20% is recycled the rest is buried, burned, or shipped out of state. NYPIRG is urging state and local governments to increase their commitment to waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting, and to steer clear of environmentally hazardous practices such as garbage incineration and landfilling.
Over the past 30 years, NYPIRG has been instrumental in creating and expanding New Yorks bottle bill and spurring numerous state and local recycling laws. In the 1990s, NYPIRG played a leading role in shutting down the leaking Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island and blocking a giant garbage incinerator proposed for the Brooklyn Navy Yard.