TCRMM follow up on Draft Local Solid Waste Management Plan
(Tompkins County, July 13, 2023) – The Tompkins County Recycling and Materials Management Department (TCRMM) wishes to thank the community for attending its public meeting on the Draft Local Solid Waste Management Plan (LSWMP), Rethinking Waste in Tompkins County: Fostering a Local Circular Economy. Over 40 individuals attended on Tuesday, July 11, at the Tompkins County Public Library.
“This plan is the culmination of extensive work from our staff and community partners,” said Leo Riley, Interim Director of TCRMM. “With longstanding recycling efforts underway, we closely monitor our programs to ensure materials are handled appropriately.”
Building upon the county’s robust recycling programs, Rethinking Waste in Tompkins County acknowledges the tremendous opportunity to foster a local circular economy where materials are used for their best value for as long as possible, and products at their end-of-life become feedstocks for new systems. This holistic approach to materials management leans into 4R programming to reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink the community’s waste.
Examples from the draft include fostering a local sharing economy, increasing infrastructure for reuse, and bolstering food waste reduction and recycling efforts.
“To achieve its goals, the plan calls for broad community engagement and we welcome feedback,” said Kat McCarthy, Waste Reduction and Recycling Coordinator. “All stakeholders in the system, including residents and businesses, play an integral role in supporting a local circular economy.”
As discussed during the meeting, TCRMM acknowledged errors in baseline data from Chapter 2 of the draft plan, including incorrect information that biosolids from Cayuga Heights were land-applied and landfilled. The data received from the village since 2017 reflects that material is not being land applied. There is no explicit commitment in the plan to increase land application of this material.
The draft plan is available for review on the recycletompkins.org website, and a physical copy is available for review at TCPL. TCRMM is seeking public comment on this draft plan to ensure it reflects the community’s needs and ideas.
Comments will be received until August 7, 2023, and can be emailed to rethinkingwaste@tompkins-co.org.
Written comments can also be mailed to the following address:
Leo Riley, Interim Director
Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management
122 Commercial Ave
Ithaca, New York 14850
Tompkins Recycling & Materials Management
607-273-6632
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