Memorandum

 To: Jessica Tisch, Commissioner of The NYC Department of Sanitation

From: Lisangel Tineo, NYC resident and Undergraduate Biology major at The City College of

New York.

Date: August 11th 2023

Subject: Improvement of trash management in New York City (NYC)

Trash management is an essential service in any city, and it is particularly important in New York City, where the amount of trash generated is very high. The current system of trash collection has several issues, including slow and ineffective service, overflowing trash receptacles, environmental pollution, and even an increase in rodents. 

This has been an issue for several decades, mainly due to the large amount of trash generated by the city's dense population and the limited amount of landfill space available in the city. The city produces an estimated amount of 12,000 tons of trash every day, and the current collection and disposal are unable to keep up with the demand causing overflow of trash receptacles and increased rodent and insect infestations. Additionally, the limited amount of landfill leads to trash being taken to other states and incineration, which has been linked to negative health impacts, including increased levels of air pollution in the city. Attached below are a few great articles that go into further detail, bringing to light more issues and solutions to be heard.

As for my own solutions, I can propose a few; the first problem at hand is the overflow of trash which can be easily solved by increasing the frequency of trash collection but we can also reduce trash by promoting recycling and composting, reducing the use of single-use plastics, and creating a more efficient sorting and disposal system. An increase in public participation is also important, we can do this by providing more information on trash separation, promoting the use of reusable bags, and creating community-based initiatives for promoting waste reduction. Lastly, we can closely monitor the effectiveness of these actions and improve whatever inconsistencies lie to gradually get rid of our trash management issues.

By implementing these actions, it can be expected that the efficiency and effectiveness of trash collection in NYC will improve, leading to a better and more sustained environment. Thank you for turning your attention to this issue, I am very excited to hear back from you, if further discussion is needed please contact me at ltineo001@citymail.cuny.edu.

Attachments;

Cities100: New York City - Zero Waste Plan to Eliminate Waste to Landfill:

https://www.c40.org/case-studies/cities100-new-york-city-zero-waste-plan-to-eliminate-waste-tolandfill/

NYC Needs Common Sense Waste Management Now:

https://nylcv.org/news/nyc-needs-common-sense-waste-management-now/