NYC Seeks Approval by State to Build Transfer Station

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn have called on state legislators to pass legislation authorizing the construction and operation of a marine transfer station to handle recovered paper, metal, glass and plastic at a pier on the Gansevoort Peninsula in Manhattan.

The Mayor notes that the transfer station is a critical component of the city’s Solid Waste Management Plan passed by the City Council last year. Once operational, the marine transfer station will handle recyclables generated in Manhattan that is currently trucked to facilities in the Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey. In addition, the new facility would free-up capacity at an existing transfer station to handle Manhattan's commercial waste. Building the facility requires an amendment to the Hudson River Park Act, which must be passed by the State Senate and Assembly and signed into law.

"Our landmark Solid Waste Management Plan is environmentally responsible and economically sustainable, and based on the idea that each borough - including Manhattan - should take responsibility for handling its own refuse and recyclables," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The Council overwhelmingly passed the Solid Waste Management Plan because it is fair for all New Yorkers. Authorizing the operation of a marine transfer station on Gansevoort Pier is the next important step toward achieving a greener, greater City. It is time for the state legislature to do the right thing and pass this amendment to the Hudson River Park Act."

"The Gansevoort Marine Transfer Station is an integral part of the City's Solid Waste Management Plan, which calls for an equitable distribution of waste transfer facilities throughout the city," said Marcia Bystryn, executive director of the New York League of Conservation Voters. "The development of a state-of-the-art, green recycling facility on the Gansevoort pier, as well as the implementation of the rest of the Solid Waste Management Plan, will increase the environmental, economic and public health of the residents of every community in New York City and will ensure that the city has the necessary infrastructure in place as our population continues to grow."

Once the Gansevoort facility is operational, Department of Sanitation trucks will deliver Manhattan's recyclables there. The new facility would also receive Manhattan's recyclable paper that is currently shipped out of the Marine Transfer Station on 59th Street in Manhattan, freeing up that facility to receive Manhattan's commercial waste - currently being trucked to the Bronx and Brooklyn.