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Sustainable and Resilient Solid Waste Infrastructure: Onondaga County, New York Case Study
Citation:
Kaplanakman, Pervin, K. Weitz, AND S. Thorneloe-Howard. Sustainable and Resilient Solid Waste Infrastructure: Onondaga County, New York Case Study. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Climate change induced impacts can impact infrastructure in communities across the United States. For instance, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast an average sea-level rise across United States coastline from 0.82 to .98 feet in the period 2020 to 2050 (NOAA, 2022). Projected sea-level rise coupled with other climate events such as more frequent and intense storms, tornadoes and other extreme weather events may cause recurring damage to municipal infrastructure, including waste sector facilities. The potential for impacts from climate events thus creates an immediate concern for the security and resiliency of communities. The goal for this project was to examine resiliency and sustainability aspects of municipal solid waste (MSW) management infrastructure using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) suite of existing tools and resources including the Disaster Debris Recovery Tool (DDRT) and Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool (MSW DST) to understand the effects of climate related impacts (e.g., flooding) on waste facilities and their operation. EPA’s Environment Justice tool EJ Screen was also used to evaluate social aspects of waste facility locations. The results from this project are intended for use in gaining a better understanding of the nature of climate-induced impacts in communities and how those impacts can affect waste management infrastructure and planning needs, as well as options available for enhancing resilience of waste and urban infrastructure. Onondaga County, New York was selected as the project site through discussions among the project team based on its location, available of data, and proximity to a varied set of waste facilities. The County is part of the central region of New York, with Syracuse as the largest urban city.
Description:
The goal for this study was to examine current municipal solid waste (MSW) management infrastructure of Onondaga County NY and provide scenarios with resilience, sustainability, and equity considerations in mind. Resilience can be defined as ability of the MSW management system to plan for, absorb, recover, and adapt following persistent disruptive events. Sustainability captures economic, environmental, and social and economic system considerations with respect to MSW management and may or may not contribute to resilience. Onondaga County, New York was selected as a community case study site based on its location, available of data, availability of data and proximity to a varied set of waste facilities. The County is part of the central region of New York, with Syracuse as the largest urban city. Tools from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) including the Disaster Debris Recovery Tool (DDRT) was used to identify regional waste management infrastructure and the Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool (MSW DST) was used to characterize the cost and life-cycle environmental impacts of MSW management and infrastructure options. For purposes of this study, infrastructure includes not only MSW collection and management infrastructure but also supporting urban infrastructure such roads, bridges, electricity and water utilities. In addition, EPA’s Environmental Justice tool, EJScreen, was also used to evaluate proximity of waste facilities to communities and potential environmental quality issues. The study presents scenarios exploring vulnerabilities to climate impacts (e.g., flooding) and sustainability of management practices—including reporting on cost, environmental impacts and environmental justice aspects of facility siting.