December 2010
Halcrow has been awarded a pioneering commercial waste system analysis and study for the City of New York’s Department of Sanitation, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Recycling (DSNY). The study is one of the commitments made by the DSNY in its solid waste management plan, launched in 2006.
Valued at over USD$5 million (£3.2 million), the study represents the first comprehensive effort to construct a detailed model of waste generated by the private sector and investigate the transport and disposal of this waste. Geographic information systems (GIS) mapping will underpin the analysis, with the latter part of the study involving extensive field work to calibrate the generation model and add depth to the DSNY's understanding of waste-handling practices in the city.
Principal GIS specialist Gary Ostroff, who will manage the project’s technical elements, commented: “Most existing waste generation calculations are fairly basic, involving spreadsheets that simply assign a ‘tonne per year’ value to businesses based on their size and sector. The level of spatial and sector detail that we will be introducing to the model is unprecedented; nor has such a model been built for a city the size of New York.”
The commercial waste system study is part of the DSNY's programme to promote sustainable and environmentally sound waste-handling systems in accord with the general goals of PlaNYC, the city’s long-term sustainable development strategy.