NEW YORK—Turning trash into renewable energy sounds like a plan to be celebrated by environmentalists across the city—and it is by some, but others remain wary. The process comes with its own environmental impacts. The city’s preliminary study admits these adverse impacts, but argues that conversion is a boon overall.
The city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 6 for a new waste conversion facility.
Representatives of interested companies met for an information session at the New York Economic Development Corporation’s office on Monday. At the same time, protesters voiced their concerns on the street outside the building.
The session included a tour of one proposed site—the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island—where a protest also amassed. Newtown Creek Alliance reports that two of the proposed sites are on Newtown Creek, which runs along the border between Queens and Brooklyn, although the mayor’s office says no Newtown Creek locations are on the table.
Mayor’s office spokesman Marc LaVorgna said anywhere in New York City or within 80 miles outside of the city is fair game.
“There are stakeholders who are very concerned that the city is looking at this,” said New York City Deputy Mayor of Operations Cas Holloway in February, “because they see it as an effort, perhaps, to bring back what I think everybody recognizes was one of the big failures of the management of waste, which was incineration.”
