<B>Report Finds NY Recycling Rates Climbed in ‘99</B>

The amount of solid waste generated by municipals in the state of New York increased 6 percent to 23.6 million tons in 1999, according to a report.

The report, called, Where Will the Garbage Go? finds that recycling, as well as exports of solid waste also increased. According to the report, published annually by the Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management, recycling represented 25 percent of the total waste stream in 1999, an increase from the previous year’s rate of 23.5 percent.

The report also finds that a total of 700,000 tons of municipal solid waste was exported to waste disposal facilities outside the state in 1999. The reason for the jump is the phasing out of New York City’s Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island.

In-state landfills took 38 percent of New York's municipal waste in 1999, the report showed. The percentage of landfilled waste has steadily declined in the last decade, from 58 percent in 1990 to 38 percent in 1999, owing to the closure of scores of small municipal landfills that did not comply with state environmental regulations.

The report is published annually by the Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management.

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