Wendy Frank (SWABs) on Intros 356 and 353 working group recommendations
Wendy Frank supports Intro 356 for community composter financial sustainability and Intro 353's working group, recommending expanded membership including commercial waste customers and micro-haulers, annual public reports, and greater transparency. She also reminds the committee about composting at large citywide events.
Hi there, Wendy Frank from the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board.
The Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens Solid Waste Advisory Boards support both Intro 356 and Intro 353 and commend the council for advancing these important measures.
Intro 356 would provide community composters with a more sustainable and diversified funding model by allowing them to charge for food scrap collections and sell the compost they produce.
The swabs recommend expanding the bill to also allow community composters to charge local entities for food scrap pickup and drop-off services.
This additional flexibility would strengthen the long-term financial sustainability of community compost programs across New York City.
The swabs also support Intro 353, establishing a commercial waste zone working group with representation from waste industry labor, environmental organizations, environmental justice advocates, and
micro haulers.
This diverse membership will ensure that commercial waste zones achieve the objectives established under local law 199 of 2019.
We recommend the working group issue an annual public report evaluating the implementation of commercial waste zones, including their impacts on truck traffic, emissions, public, and worker safety, and other key performance.
At the conclusion of its work, the group will also issue recommendations for improving the program.
Finally, we recommend adding commercial waste customers to the working group and providing opportunities for solid waste advisory boards and other stakeholders to observe meetings.
Greater transparency and broader participation will strengthen both the working group and the successful implementation of commercial waste zones.
Thank you for your consideration.
And also, you may remember me from the last hearing when...
I informed you about bananas.
And when you have a large citywide event with over 40,000 people and you don't compost those bananas, it's bananas.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for your testimony.
And this panel is relieved.
And for our next and last panel, can I please have Domingo Morales, Justin Green, and Aaron Wright.
I want to end with Aaron.
Perfect.
Thank you.