Shravanti Kaneka (NYC Environmental Justice Alliance) testifies against anaerobic co-digestion prioritization
Shravanti Kaneka of NYC EJA urges the city to deprioritize anaerobic co-digestion at wastewater facilities in favor of expanding community composting, citing unfair waste burdens on environmental justice communities and the benefits of local composting for green jobs.
Good afternoon, Chair Sanchez.
My name is Shravanti Kaneka.
I'm the Senior Resiliency Planner with the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance.
Founded in 1991, Nija is a nonprofit citywide membership network that links 13 grassroots organizations from low-income neighborhoods and communities of color across the five boroughs in their struggle for environmental justice.
I'm here today to voice Nija's concerns about one particular aspect that was discussed about the city's approach to solid waste management.
We encourage the city to deprioritize waste management solutions like anaerobic co-digestion at city wastewater resource recovery facilities at the cost of expanding composting facilities across New York City, which could
help establish green job, among other numerous benefits.
As Commissioner Anderson has mentioned, 2,400 million pounds of waste are produced every day, which requires massive transportation logistics and contributes to pollution impacts
as this garbage is moved by privately owned and operated waste transfer stations along the waterfront.
DSNY data shows that the system is grossly unfair.
Just four community districts still handle 75% of the city's private waste, and the majority of this waste passes through communities with the highest asthma rates, as you mentioned, the South Bronx, North Brooklyn, and Southeast Queens.
Despite all of the benefits of composting, the city's composting infrastructure has not kept up with...
has not kept up pace with the collection of residential organics.
Despite successful models we've seen at Fresh Kills, we're troubled to see the continued investment in sending collected organics to be co-digested with sewage sludge at the Newtown Creek facility,
rather than building capacity for small and mid-scale composting facilities across the city.
I know my time is nearly up, but in my written comments, I name the number of issues with anaerobic co-digestion, and I will submit more detailed testimony in writing.
Your testimony will be read.
Thank you so much.
And the first panel is relieved.
Thank you.
Extra, extra relief.