As the two landfills in the county begin to fill up, municipalities are starting to think \u2014 fast \u2014 about the future. One resolution passed unanimously in the legislature suggests that the issue should be handled on a regional, or at least county-wide, level.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time, says first-term Legislator Frank Mauriello (R-Colonie), to update Albany County\u2019s 2011 feasibility study on recycling and solid-waste management. The study was conducted six years ago for the county by Barton and Loguidice, but its final recommendation \u2014 that a regional solid-waste authority be created \u2014 was never adopted.<\/p>\n
In May, together with Sean Ward \u2014 a Democrat from the 16th District and the legislature\u2019s chairman \u2014 and Frank Commisso, a Democrat from the 11th District and the majority leader, Mauriello introduced Resolution 210, which asks the county to update that study, called the Albany County Regional Solid Waste Authority Feasibility Study.<\/p>\n
The resolution, which passed unanimously in the legislature and now awaits County Executive Daniel McCoy\u2019s signature, says that new technologies have been developed since 2011.<\/p>\n
McCoy, who was chairman of the legislature before he was elected county executive in 2012, added that he doesn\u2019t see any reason not to sign Resolution 210, although he is still looking into it.<\/p>\n
Asked how the county looked into the feasibility of a regional authority after the initial study was done, McCoy\u2019s spokeswoman, Mary Rozak, wrote in an email, \u201cI can\u2019t speak to the actions taken after the completion of the study, as we hadn\u2019t taken office yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCoy said that when he first got into office, he looked at the study, and that he has since been \u201ctrying to see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a study that has to be done on a Capital District basis, it can\u2019t just be Albany County,\u201d said McCoy. \u201cIt has to be multiple counties involved, and then you have to agree to the terms.\u201d<\/p>\n
The original study was done on a regional scale. But, Rozak said, \u201cthe regional cooperation never materialized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked why municipalities would be more likely now than they were six years ago to cooperate in a regional consortium, Mauriello pointed to party politics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re the ones that initiated the study, we\u2019re the ones who are going to make sure it\u2019s completed and who are going to make sure the recommendations are implemented,\u201d Mauriello said, referring to himself and his Republican colleagues.<\/p>\n
A regional authority could only be created in partnership with New York State and the nearby counties said McCoy, partly because of the prohibitive costs of setting it up. \u201cIf you build a facility that size,\u201d he said, \u201cfirst, you\u2019ve got to make sure you\u2019ve got enough trash coming in, and then you\u2019ve got to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The original study found that the area generates enough waste \u2014 more than 2 million tons per year \u2014 to support the development of facilities for a comprehensive, coordinated system.<\/p>\n
As of 2011, several municipalities in New York had developed successful solid-waste management authorities, according to the report. Dutchess, Islip, Oneida-Herkimer, Rockland, Ulster, and Western Finger Lakes had developed materials recovery facilities to process recyclable materials for marketing and Onondaga and Oneida-Herkimer had achieved two of the best recycling rates in the state.<\/p>\n
McCoy said that the most successful regional authorities that he is aware of are all in Europe \u2014 they include very large recycling centers and generally incinerate waste. They are the closest to what he said is his goal, of \u201cseeing zero go back in the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those facilities, he said, \u201cburn cleaner air than we breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The county has been looking into the feasibility of such an authority here, McCoy said. \u201cBut it costs a lot of money. Who\u2019s going to pay for it? Who\u2019s going to manage it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
The 2011 study looked at Albany County and the surrounding counties of Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Renssealaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington.<\/p>\n
McCoy said, \u201cObviously, if we go to something like that, I don\u2019t know if you remember when we had the problems with cancers down in the South End of Albany, but we don\u2019t want to get into that again. We want to make sure we don\u2019t make those mistakes as we go forward. Everything has to be done in the best way for the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n