“Radical Changes” Ahead for NYC’s Commercial Waste Zone Bill?

After a years-long—at times contentious—debate over New York City’s plan to reform commercial garbage collection, it seems as though legislation that would “introduce radical changes” to the city’s waste industry is headed to the City Council.

Crain’s New York just reported that Sanitation Committee Chairman Antonio Reynoso is set to introduce a bill next week that would create an exclusive waste system in which a single hauler would be responsible for each zone in the city.

When initially introduced, the city said the plan would ultimately divide the city into 20 zones, each served by three to five carters selected through a competitive process. This approach has been said to reduce truck traffic associated with commercial waste collection by more than 60 percent, or more than 18 million miles per year, while strengthening service standards and allowing for customer choice.

Now, however, it appears Reynoso will be pushing for the more exclusive system. Crain’s reports that most carters have been “fierce enemies of any zoned plan,” claiming it would wipe out all but the largest players. “Some business groups have also come out against both plans, but they were particularly opposed to the exclusive version, arguing that it would reduce competition, limit their control and result in worse service and higher prices,” according to the report.

Crain’s New York has more details:

After years of debate over the best way to reform commercial garbage collection, haulers and the businesses they serve may be in for a surprise. Legislation appears to be headed to the City Council that would introduce radical changes to the industry—and upend the carefully laid plans of the Department of Sanitation, which had been developing a commercial zone system that would have broken up the city into 20 zones served by three to five carters apiece.

Instead, according to a person who has been briefed on the plans, sanitation committee Chairman Antonio Reynoso will introduce a bill next week to create an exclusive system, in which a single carter would be responsible for each zone.

The de Blasio administration, in the early days of considering zones, had seemed to favor an exclusive plan, but shifted gears a year ago in an effort to gain business support.

Read the full article here.