L.I. urgently needs sustainable waste management

As Long Island grows, so does the stress on the region’s infrastructure, resources and properties. With nearly 3 million residents calling Nassau and Suffolk counties home, Long Island is facing a waste management crisis of unprecedented proportions.

Long Island produces approximately 7 million tons of waste annually. This immense volume, comprising everything from household trash to commercial and construction debris, is straining a region that is already stretching its waste management infrastructure upsettingly thin. And with the imminent closure of the Brookhaven Landfill, the region’s last major landfill, the crisis will only escalate, underscoring the critical need for sustainable solutions — particularly waste-to-energy systems — to address the growing environmental and logistical pressures. There’s no other way to put it, really: Current waste management practices on Long Island are becoming increasingly unsustainable.

Landfills are a dead end. They’re shutting down all over the Northeast, forcing waste to be transported farther and farther — an ecological and environmental catastrophe burdening residents, businesses and municipalities alike. Long-distance transportation of waste adds to traffic congestion, exponentially increases the likelihood of illegal dumping, pollutes the air, and exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions.
Long Island urgently needs a more sustainable waste management strategy.

Reworld, a leader in sustainable waste solutions for over three decades, offers a solution to this growing crisis. With four strategically located thermomechanical treatment facilities — in Westbury, West Babylon, East Northport and Ronkonkoma — we’ve been instrumental in helping Long Island manage its waste more efficiently. These facilities are waste ecosystems, and employ a variety of sustainable capabilities that extract valuable resources from what many of us toss in our kitchen bins at home.

For example, each of these facilities houses waste-to-energy technology. By converting waste into renewable energy, we reduce the Island’s reliance on landfills while simultaneously generating electricity, thus contributing to the region’s energy needs in a sustainable manner.

Throughout our more than 30 years on Long Island, we’ve been focused on working with community groups and environmental advocates to lead the way in developing and implementing advanced solutions to help the region achieve its environmental goals. The journey toward a sustainable future, however, is a collective one. It requires the active participation of residents, businesses and municipalities in waste reduction, recycling and support for sustainable waste management practices.

Our commitment to sustainability also extends to our metal-recovery services, where we recycle over 60,000 tons of ferrous and non-ferrous materials each year. To put this in perspective, the recovered metal could form a chain of paperclips that wraps around the Earth 85 times. This dedication to resource recovery highlights our mission to minimize waste and maximize the value of discarded materials.

For example, improper disposal of medications, whether flushed or thrown away, can lead to pharmaceutical contamination of groundwater, potentially affecting both the environment and public health. That’s why we partner with municipalities throughout the year across Long Island to help organize pharmaceutical take-back events. This gives residents a way to safely and responsibly dispose of expired and unused prescription drugs. By facilitating proper disposal methods, Reworld and its municipal partners are helping reduce the risk of contamination, and help keep our communities safe and healthy by protecting critical infrastructure.

In addition to community programming, Reworld is also driving innovation in sustainable waste solutions on Long Island by implementing new technology at our facilities. We’ve developed advanced thermal-treatment methods and integrated high-efficiency combustion systems with cutting-edge environmental controls. Our Long Island plants operate with an unprecedented level of efficiency and environmental responsibility.

Long Island stands at a critical crossroads. The decisions we make today will shape the future of our waste management infrastructure. We can no longer rely on outdated methods that damage our environment and strain our communities. By embracing sustainable practices, we can reduce landfill dependency, lower our carbon footprint and create a healthier, cleaner environment for future generations.

Adel Omrani is president, East Region, of Reworld.