Waste

Zero Waste Resolution 242’s Definition of Collaboration Is Being Undermined—Again—And There Is No More Time to Waste

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“UCRRA’s commitment to review waste diversion strategies and alternative technologies to approach Zero Waste not covered in the Local Solid Waste Management Plan, and to collaboratively develop  and participate in a comprehensive Zero Waste Action Implementation Plan…”
(Resolution No. 242 of 2020 (signed February 16, 2021), Approving Ulster County’s Local Solid Waste Management Plan)

Seven years after the Ulster County Legislature (UCL) passed Resolution 451 in 2019, establishing a policy to become a Zero Waste Community, the legislature and Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) have yet to complete a Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP). Instead, lacking political will and sufficient funding, it continues to redefine the process and kick the can down the road.  At a time when we have no time to waste. 

An undated memo written by UCL Chris Hewitt, and received by us on March 25, was recently brought into public view during the month’s UCL Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee meeting following our recent Ulster Toward Zero Waste webinar.  It highlights a serious and recurring problem: the UCL is once again moving forward without following the process it has already established.

This is not the first time, and it is not a small procedural issue. It speaks directly to how decisions about major waste infrastructure have been made, with or without the public meaningfully included before those decisions are locked in.

Deja Vu

Last summer, the UCL issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP).  As could have been expected, consultants submitted proposals in the range of $100,000, far exceeding the County’s $10,000 allocation—an amount widely recognized as insufficient for a planning document as critical as a ZWIP.

Instead of increasing funding or revising the scope to align with implementation needs, Legislator Hewitt circulated a memo reclassifying the project with MSW Consultants as a “Zero Waste Policy Guidance Document.” There was no public explanation for this change before it occurred, no opportunity for public input on the revised scope, and no discussion of the difference between an implementation plan and a policy guidance document.

This is the second time the UCL has stepped away from the original intent of Resolution 242. The first attempt, in and around 2021-2022, was also based on a $10,000 allocation and produced a draft that was never completed. That failure has already cost us time. We are now repeating the pattern.

We Already Have the Information—What We Don’t Have Is a Plan

During the April UCL Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee meeting, the public heard for the first time what is now being proposed. The explanation centered on compiling information —materials we already know exist, including the 2020 Solid Waste Management Plan and its updates, draft Zero Waste Implementation Plan materials, UCRRA annual reports, Greenway Environmental submissions, and NYS DEC annual reports.

The issue is not access to information. The issue is the absence of a true implementation framework that organizes, tests, and applies that information into a functioning system.

KingstonCitizens.org played a direct role in ensuring that this memo was brought into the public process. On April 7, we requested that the document be placed on the agenda for the April 13 UCL Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee meeting and that public comment be allowed. Without that request, the item would have not likely been included for discussion.

At the meeting itself, public comment was limited to two minutes. Concerns were raised, questions were asked, and the lack of transparency in the process was clearly identified. There was no substantive response or discussion. Instead, it was suggested that the act of public comment itself satisfied the “collaboration” requirement in Resolution 242.

Restoring the Intent of Resolution 242: The County Must Now Act on Zero Waste Implementation

As we learned from Greenway Environmental Services—who have been on the ground for decades building zero waste systems in Ulster County and were featured in our recent “Ulster Toward Zero Waste” webinar—the Recycling Oversight Committee’s (ROC) initial approach to the Zero Waste Implementation Plan is to begin with a demonstration project at a single transfer station.

In 1986, Ulster County invested approximately $200 million to build 19 transfer stations, the UCRRA facility, and close its landfills. The ROC’s rationale is that a system proven at one facility can and should be scaled across the full system, leveraging this investment, which was fully paid off in 2025.

Our coalition of partners expect full collaboration with Ulster County leadership and UCRRA, and a process grounded in transparency, accountability, and shared responsibility for public health, quality of life, and costs.

Key Next Steps: What Needs to Happen Next

The MSW consultant document may inform the discussion with a policy guidance memo, but it is not the plan. Resolution 242 requires that the Zero Waste Implementation Plan itself be built collaboratively, transparently, and with clear steps toward execution—not deferred or redefined after the fact.

1. Reaffirm Resolution 242 as the Governing Framework

Resolution 242 requires a collaboratively developed Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP). This means shared planning from the beginning—not a late-stage review, and not a substitute document such as a policy guidance memo.

2. Clarify the MSW Policy Guidance Document’s Limited Role

The MSW Consultants policy guidance document must be clearly defined as background reference material only. It cannot replace the ZWIP, and it cannot be treated as the County’s implementation plan.

3. Pause Major Infrastructure Commitments Until a ZWIP Exists

No new long-term contracts, facility decisions, or major infrastructure investments should move forward until a formal, adopted Zero Waste Implementation Plan is completed through a public process.

4. Establish a True Collaborative Working Group

Create a formal, inclusive working group to build the ZWIP from the ground up. This group should include the County, UCRRA, legislators, transfer station operators and staff, and community stakeholders. Collaboration must mean shared development of the plan, not limited public comment on pre-determined direction.

5. Prioritize Real-World Pilot Projects at Transfer Stations in Ulster County

Begin implementation through transfer station-based pilot projects, consistent with the New Paltz model approach. These pilots should test what works operationally and generate real data to build the countywide system, supported by a Transfer Station Database (permits, operators, staffing, volumes, recycling rates, and facility rankings).

  • From this, a short list should identify the two highest-volume and two highest recycling-rate transfer stations, with the top-performing recycling facility fully documented. The short list must then be evaluated for willingness to participate in a pilot project, future plans, grants pending, equipment, personnel structure (including union status, wages, job titles, and training), and full operational financials.
  • A Request for Proposal (RFP) should then be issued for a contractor or consortium to design, install, and operate a facility targeting a 90% recovery rate while doubling current capacity. Funding for this effort already exists within UCRRA’s “unrestricted funds,” generated through tipping fee revenues, consistent with the intent of the 2012 flow control law.
  • The pilot is intended to produce the operational model needed for countywide deployment and the development of a Zero Waste Implementation Plan, to be incorporated into the Solid Waste Management Plan.

6. Establish a Public Implementation Schedule and Accountability Framework

Establish a public implementation schedule and accountability framework by setting clear, transparent milestones for the formation of a working group, the selection and launch of pilot sites, the drafting of the Zero Waste Implementation Plan (ZWIP), and key decision points for countywide rollout. This is essential to prevent further delay and ensure the process does not repeat past cycles of inaction.

Ulster County Must Finish — and Adopt — Its Zero Waste Implementation Plan

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By Rebecca Martin

Ulster County is on the verge of making a major, long-term decision about how it handles trash—before completing the work it already committed to do.

Despite years of discussion and a formal zero waste policy adopted by the Ulster County Legislature in 2019, the County’s Zero Waste Implementation Plan has still not been completed or adopted. That unfinished work now looms large as the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA) advances negotiations for a costly project.

At a Friday, December 12 board meeting, the UCRRA board granted Executive Director Marc Rider authority to negotiate with London-based developer Global NRG for a “cutting-edge” solid waste disposal facility. The proposed project would occupy five acres adjacent to the UCRRA complex at 999 Flatbush Avenue (State Route 32). Global NRG would lease the land but build, own, and operate the facility—at an estimated cost of $100 million.

According to a recent article, the facility would take in all of UCRRA’s municipal solid waste, forecast at 107,100 tons in 2025, with claims that landfill disposal would be reduced by 70 percent. Rider described a mixed materials recovery system using conveyor belts, magnets, and AI-driven optical sorting before converting trash into gas.

These promises may sound appealing—but gasification-style “waste-to-energy” systems raise concerns about air quality and toxic byproducts. These technologies have known environmental and operational uncertainties, including the need for a guaranteed, long-term supply of trash—risks undermining zero waste goals.

What makes this moment especially troubling is that Ulster County’s Zero Waste Implementation Plan remains unfinished.

While the County adopted a zero waste policy in 2019, the practical roadmap for how to achieve it—the implementation plan—has stalled repeatedly. At one point, approximately $10,000 was allocated toward advancing the plan, yet it was never brought to completion. Now, responsibility for finishing it rests with the Legislature, which would need to pass a budget amendment in the 2026 budget to complete the work. Without that action, the plan could be delayed yet again, potentially for years.

This matters because zero waste is not a slogan; it is a strategy. A true zero waste approach prioritizes waste reduction at the source, organics diversion, reuse and repair, and steady decreases in disposal. Entering into a long-term agreement for a facility that depends on a constant flow of trash risks creating incentives that conflict with the waste reduction strategies zero waste is meant to promote.

Ulster County should not lock itself into an expensive, high-risk waste-to-energy project while the Zero Waste Implementation Plan—promised years ago—remains unfinished and unfunded, pre-empting the very waste-reduction strategies the County claims to support.

TAKE ACTION:  Call your Ulster County Legislator to discuss this problem, and urge them to amend the budget to complete, adopt, and fully fund our Zero Waste Implementation plan—and put it to work. With each year of delay, we risk relying on projects that do nothing to reduce waste at the source or expand composting—a status quo we can no longer afford.

READ: Ulster agency eyes 70% reduction of garbage going to landfills with trash-to-gas system 

The City of Kingston’s composting program “rots”!

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Photo credit: Julie Noble

By Rebecca Martin

The City of Kingston’s composting program “rots”!

Composting is the process of  breaking down organic waste, like food scraps, to create nutrient-rich compost. This process involves rotting, or the destructive dissolution of organic matter. When we remove food waste from the waste system, with composting,  we are actively diverting food scraps from our regular trash and turning them into nutrient rich soil. It is essentially taking food out of the landfill where it would otherwise decompose and produce harmful methane gas; this helps reduce environmental impact and conserve resources used to produce food. 

According to the EPA, 22% of our waste stream is food scraps, meaning it is the largest single category of waste sent to landfills

Composting’s benefits include saving our community tax dollars. Kingston’s garbage is hauled more than 250 miles away to the Seneca Meadows Landfill. The tipping fees are extremely expensive and are getting more so with each passing year. 

As it pertains to environmental justice, Seneca Meadows Landfill is located in Seneca Falls, a small town of a little more than 9,000 people. They are enduring great harms living next to one of the largest active landfills in New York State that accepts trash from communities like ours.

Established in 1953, Seneca Meadows landfill has a permitted waste capacity of 6,000 tons per day. The landfill will reach capacity by the end of 2025, coinciding with the expiration of its existing permit. They want to profit as much as they can and kick the can down the road to expand their capacity by 47 acres and extend their permit in 2040.  Here’s what Seneca Lake Guardians, made up of community members living in Seneca Falls, think about that. We must understand  how we are contributing to their community harms and stop it.

Recently, Ulster County announced it wanted to find a landfill of its own in the county with much public outrage.  Now imagine how Seneca Falls community members feel about communities like ours sending our unending stream of trash there. 

It’s unjust and unfair.  

It’s why the county must approve its Zero Waste Management plan that it’s been working on for a long time, and why we endorse a landfill in Ulster County.  Why should we place the burden of our waste on a community 250 miles away? The only way that we are going to make changes is to take on the burden  right here at home.

Zero waste is key and composing is an opportunity for Kingston residents. Let’s get the ball rolling to take responsibility for what we are throwing out.  Sign-up to Kingston Organics.  I’ve taken pictures of my weekly haul to show you just how easy it is to get food scraps, meats, bones, etc. out of our waste stream.

Step one:
Make a designated can for all of your food scraps. You can capture meat and bones, too. I’ve lined mine with a bag that I can wash and use again for a couple of months of collection.
Step two:
I collect my food scrapes for a week to deliver on Sunday’s. Kingston has a number of locations that are close to you that you can deliver to.
Step three:
I visit the location in the Rondout to bring my food scraps for composing.
Step four:
There is a simple passcode to access the bins (you’ll get the code once you sign-up)
Step five:
Dump and go! By doing so, you’ve contributed to eliminating unnecessary food scraps from our waste stream, making less emissions and saving tax dollars in tipping fees from delivering our trash to Seneca Meadows, some 250 miles away.